{"id":2801,"date":"2026-04-06T09:28:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=2801"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:28:36","slug":"fa-make-decision-on-gabriel-martinelli-sanction-after-referee-incident-in-fa-cup-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=2801","title":{"rendered":"FA make decision on Gabriel Martinelli sanction after referee incident in FA Cup loss"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_e792fe\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Gabriel Martinelli was shown a yellow card during Arsenal&#8217;s FA Cup defeat to Southampton after pushing referee Sam Barrott<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">08:26, 06 Apr 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 08:28, 06 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33720601\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33720601.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_JS402090220.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33720601.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_JS402090220.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33720601.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_JS402090220.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33720601.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_JS402090220.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Gabriel Martinelli appeared to shove referee Sam Barrott during Arsenal's 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton.\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Gabriel Martinelli appeared to shove referee Sam Barrott during Arsenal&#8217;s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Gabriel Martinelli is expected to escape retrospective punishment from the Football Association following his contact with the referee during Arsenal&#8217;s surprise FA Cup exit to Southampton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Arsenal attacker received a yellow card in the dying moments of the 2-1 defeat at St Mary&#8217;s<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/fa-decide-gabriel-martinelli-punishment-36972741\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> after making contact with Sam Barrott&#8217;s arm.<\/a> The incident took place in the 94th minute when Martinelli touched the referee while attempting to take a free kick swiftly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">However, with Barrott addressing the matter on the pitch, <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7174004\/2026\/04\/05\/gabriel-martinelli-arsenal-referee-push\/?unlocked_article_code=1.YlA.nVim.K1u42s06SM5a&amp;source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_twitter&amp;smid=tw-share-ta\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">the Athletic<\/a> report he is unlikely to face additional sanctions from the FA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey condemned the Brazilian&#8217;s behaviour and argued he deserved a straight red card. He said: &#8220;Referee Sam Barrott awarded a free-kick to Arsenal, Martinelli comes rushing in and he pushes Sam out of the way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Now I&#8217;m sorry, Gabriel Martinelli showed total disrespect for the match official Sam Barrott in that situation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE!<\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFCFootball.London#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Although Sam issued a yellow card, for me it&#8217;s a red card. You just cannot put your hands on a referee, let alone push him out of the way. You&#8217;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?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33717999\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33717999\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.51\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal players react after defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33717999.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2269836511.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33717999.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2269836511.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33717999.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2269836511.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33717999.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2269836511.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal players react after defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal players react after defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals<cite aria-label=\"Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA\/Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Catherine Ivill &#8211; AMA\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ref Support UK, a charity which trains and supports officials, wrote on X: &#8220;The FA cannot let him get away with that. This will be a missed opportunity if they don&#8217;t take action against Arsenal and Martinelli.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Up to 70% off Arsenal kits and merch<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32730319.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Untitled-9jpeg.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-price-details__OpMC_\">\n<p>Various Prices<\/p>\n<p>Kitbag<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/kitbag.evyy.net\/c\/344386\/789332\/11316?subId1=Regionals-football.london&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitbag.com%2Fen%2Fpremier-league%2Farsenal%2Fo-54310484%2Bt-47520158%2Bz-81-746375396\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Buy Now on Kitbag<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Kitbag has slashed the price of Arsenal kits and merch with up to 70% off select items.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">This most recent Martinelli transgression capped off a thoroughly disappointing evening for the Gunners, who witnessed their treble aspirations evaporate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Saints will now meet Manchester City at Wembley, leaving Arsenal to concentrate on the Champions League and Premier League.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"Factbox_factbox-container__hSMOa\" id=\"factbox\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Entering Factbox content\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33693842\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"factbox\" data-testid=\"factbox\">\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs Factbox_heading-three__NXU52 __className_18bd99\">Grand National 2026 Preview: 48-Page Guide with Tips, Runners &#038; Expert Analysis<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Factbox_content__xdMV8\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The 48-page guide to the 2026 Randox Grand National is packed with interviews, features, stats and all you need for the 178th running of the world&#8217;s greatest steeplechase &#8211; <a aria-label=\"click here to order your copy todayLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.regionalnewspapers.co.uk\/grand-national-preview-2026-5688-p.asp?utm_source=Grand+National+2026+-+All&amp;utm_medium=converse&amp;utm_campaign=Grand+National+2026&amp;utm_id=Grand+National+2026\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">click here to order your copy today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33693839\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33693839\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33693839.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GRAND-NATIONAL-NO-BRANDING-1.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33693839.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GRAND-NATIONAL-NO-BRANDING-1.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33693839.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GRAND-NATIONAL-NO-BRANDING-1.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33693839.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GRAND-NATIONAL-NO-BRANDING-1.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gabriel Martinelli was shown a yellow card during Arsenal&#8217;s FA Cup defeat to Southampton after pushing referee Sam Barrott 08:26, 06 Apr 2026Updated 08:28, 06 Apr 2026 Gabriel Martinelli appeared to shove referee Sam Barrott during Arsenal&#8217;s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton. Gabriel Martinelli is expected to escape retrospective punishment from the Football Association [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}