UEFA rules slammed over Aston Villa confusion with Emi Martinez, clarification expected on Friday
Emi Martinez may still be available for the first leg of the Conference League semi-final despite Aston Villa believing he would be suspended.
The Argentine was heavily involved as the Villans secured a penalty shootout victory against Lille with the keeper making the match-winning save.
It appeared that the referee had given Martinez a second yellow card for taunting the home fans. The rules were later clarified that cards are reset and do not carry over into penalties, so he was not sent off.
It was reported by John Townley that he would miss the first leg of the semi-final against Olympiakos at Villa Park.
Matt Maher has now taken to X to suggest that this may not be the case and has slammed UEFA’s rules.
He said: “Martinez semi-final suspension last night as there is a fair bit of confusion. Aston Villa were pretty sure he would be banned. But Uefa rules clear as mud. Clarification expected sometime today.”
Aston Villa to get Emi Martinez clafication
Martinez is one of the most clutch players in recent memory. When it comes to huge moments on the biggest stages, he is that guy.
At the Decathlon Arena, he was up to his usual antics which saw him doing his utmost to put off the opposition players.
This saw Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin Andre miss penalties in similar circumstances to Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni in the 2022 World Cup final.
He had been on top form throughout the whole tie. In the first leg, he made six saves and prevented 1.67 xG throughout the 90 [FotMob].
The Argentine was once again superb in the away tie despite conceding two frustrating goals. According to FotMob, he made two saves, 11 recoveries and had 87 touches of the ball across the whole 120 minutes.
His ability on the ball is underrated and is sometimes forgotten due to his world-class ability to make top saves. This saw him make 59 accurate passes, equating to a 78 per cent success rate.
Villa will be hopeful that his suspension isn’t upheld and the World’s number one can start at Villa Park in the semi-final with clarification set to come on Friday (19 April).
In other Aston Villa news, Emery risks “annoying” some Villa stars with a new Douglas Luiz selection call against Lille
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