- Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will miss first leg against Olympiacos
- Martinez was given two bookings against Lille but didn’t receive a red card
- Hope is not lost for Arsenal and it’s wrong for Oleksandr Zinchenko to be a scapegoat: Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
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Emiliano Martinez is set to miss the next stage of Aston Villa‘s bid for European glory after UEFA chiefs were left poring over their own rules throughout Friday.
The Argentina goalkeeper is suspended for the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final at Villa Park on May 2 after he was booked during the penalty shoot-out at Lille on Thursday.
Villa won that contest but the yellow card was Martinez’s second of the night and means he must sit it out next week.
Martinez had been booked for time-wasting during the first half but bookings in general play do not then carry over to the shoot-out, meaning the 31-year-old was allowed to carry on and make the decisive save from Benjamin Andre.
Villa always believed Martinez would be banned but UEFA themselves were less clear.
The governing body’s rule states that yellow cards collecting during the competition are removed from a player’s record after the quarter-finals.
Yet even though Martinez was not sent off in the shoot-out, he was still booked twice on the night.
After hours of deliberation, UEFA have Martinez is suspended after collecting three bookings across the entire tie against Lille.
Speaking after the game, Martinez said: ‘It’s all about reputation because the other goalie was doing exactly the same thing (time wasting in normal play).
‘I got a yellow after 30 minutes and we were losing the game so I don’t know what the ref wants from me.
‘Then there was no ball on the penalty spot during the shoot-out. I was asking for a ball from the ball boy and I get booked. I just don’t understand the rules.’
A UEFA spokesman said: ‘Emiliano Martinez will be suspended for the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiacos.’
