Argentina's World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, has received a two-match suspension from FIFA due to "offensive behavior," as announced by the Argentine Football Association on Saturday. 

The 32-year-old Aston Villa player was also found guilty of "violating principles of fair play" in two distinct incidents. Martinez breached FIFA's code of conduct when he held a replica of the Copa America trophy inappropriately after Argentina's World Cup qualifier victory over Chile on September 5. This was not the first instance of such behavior; he had previously made a similar gesture with the Golden Glove trophy following Argentina's penalty shootout win against France in the 2022 World Cup final.

Additionally, FIFA penalized him for striking a TV cameraman's camera with his gloves after Argentina's 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10. The AFA has voiced its discontent with FIFA's ruling, stating, "The Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee."

Consequently, Martinez, who played a crucial role in Argentina's Copa America victories in July and 2021, will be unavailable for the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15. Argentina currently leads the South American qualifying table with 18 points from eight matches, with Colombia trailing by just two points.