Aston Villa goal keeper Emiliano Martinez could face a suspension from Argentina duty after a controversial incident in their 2-1 loss in Colombia.
Lionel Scaloni's team remain top of the CONMEBOL rankings for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification despite slipping to defeat in Baranquilla.
In the aftermath of the game, Martinez was involved in a shocking incident involving a local journalist, who claims the veteran shot stopper slapped him.
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Footage which was widely shared on social media shortly after the final whistle appears to show Martinez knocking Jhonny Jackson's camera to the floor, but the journalist claims he was also struck by the Villa star.
No jodan con el Dibu... pic.twitter.com/RcCB8Tbt9j
— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) September 10, 2024
"Out of the blue he slapped me," Jackson told RCN Deportes."I felt angry, very angry. I was working, just like he was. He was playing and I was shooting with my camera.
However, despite the incident causing upset for Jackson, he indicated he did not want the matter to be taken further.
"Dibu (Martine), my brother, how are you? I'm Jhonny Jackson, the cameraman you assaulted after the match in Colombia. I want to tell you it is all good, my brother. Everyone has lost a match in their life. This defeat clearly meant a lot to you. But look forward now."
The matter was quickly picked up by Colombia’s association of sports journalists (ACORD) who confirmed their appeal to FIFA and CONMEBOL.
"As the journalistic authority in this country, ACORD wants FIFA and CONMEBOL to produce an exemplary sanction against Emiliano Martínez, who is no role model for new generations", their president Faiver Hoyos Hernandez.
A CONMEBOL source confirmed the matter will be looked into, but with no official comment from themselves or Martinez at this stage.
Martinez has already arrived back in the UK ahead of Villa's Premier League return at home to Everton on September 14.
