Emiliano Martinez has been banned from playing in the first leg of Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos. This suspension comes as a result of Martinez’s behavior during a penalty shootout against Lille, where he made several crucial saves to secure victory for Villa. After being booked twice during the shootout, Martinez was not sent off due to a little-known ruling which wipes away yellow cards when the final whistle is blown. Furthermore, IFAB rule 10.3 specifies that yellow cards and warnings from the game do not carry forward into penalties, although players who were shown a red card during the game are not allowed to participate.
As a result of his actions, Martinez has now accumulated two competition yellow cards and will miss the upcoming game with Olympiacos. Martinez has expressed confusion over the rules regarding his sanctions, arguing that his bookings came as a result of a misunderstanding. In Martinez’s absence, it is expected that the backup goalkeeper, Robin Olsen, will take his place in the upcoming match at Villa Park.