Gabriel Martinelli was shown a yellow card during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Southampton after pushing referee Sam Barrott
Gabriel Martinelli is expected to escape retrospective punishment from the Football Association following his contact with the referee during Arsenal’s surprise FA Cup exit to Southampton.
The Arsenal attacker received a yellow card in the dying moments of the 2-1 defeat at St Mary’s after making contact with Sam Barrott’s arm. The incident took place in the 94th minute when Martinelli touched the referee while attempting to take a free kick swiftly.
However, with Barrott addressing the matter on the pitch, the Athletic report he is unlikely to face additional sanctions from the FA.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey condemned the Brazilian’s behaviour and argued he deserved a straight red card. He said: “Referee Sam Barrott awarded a free-kick to Arsenal, Martinelli comes rushing in and he pushes Sam out of the way.
“Now I’m sorry, Gabriel Martinelli showed total disrespect for the match official Sam Barrott in that situation.”
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“Although Sam issued a yellow card, for me it’s a red card. You just cannot put your hands on a referee, let alone push him out of the way. You’ve got to look around the country, up and down, Saturday and Sundays where we have local park referees going out and doing their games. What message does that send out to our local park referees?
“I thought Sam had a good game, he refereed the game well, but I think he let the refereeing community down by not sending off Gabriel Martinelli for pushing him at the award of a free-kick, so he could take the free-kick quickly.”
Ref Support UK, a charity which trains and supports officials, wrote on X: “The FA cannot let him get away with that. This will be a missed opportunity if they don’t take action against Arsenal and Martinelli.
“There has been too many incidents in football where refs are pushed or shoved and football cannot let it escalate any more. I would have loved to see the ref send him off.”
This marks the second occasion this season that Martinelli has escaped retrospective punishment after demands were made for him to face a ban following an incident involving Conor Bradley.
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During that episode, Martinelli pushed the Liverpool defender beyond the touchline as he lay injured with what ultimately proved to be a season-ending problem.
This most recent Martinelli transgression capped off a thoroughly disappointing evening for the Gunners, who witnessed their treble aspirations evaporate.
Having suffered defeat in the Carabao Cup final prior to the international break, the visit to the Championship outfit seemed the ideal tonic. Instead, they were justifiably beaten with Shea Charles netting a late winner.
The Saints will now meet Manchester City at Wembley, leaving Arsenal to concentrate on the Champions League and Premier League.
