Why Gabriel Martinelli May Escape Further Punishment for Referee Push

The Arsenal winger lost his composure during the late stages of their defeat to Southampton.

Martinelli was overzealous with Sam Barrott to say the least. | BBC Sport / The FA

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli is not expected to face further punishment for pushing a referee during his side’s defeat to Southampton on Saturday, a report has revealed.

During the final few moments of the game, Martinelli pushed official Sam Barrott to the side to try and take a free kick quickly in search of a goal to prevent their FA Cup exit, receiving a yellow card for his over the top approach.

The Athletic report the fact that Barrott punished Martinelli during the game means the incident is unlikely to be reviewed by the Football Association and that no further punishment will be handed out.

The incident has been compared to an earlier controversy for Martinelli, who was booked in January for attempting to push a prone Conor Bradley off the pitch while he was down injured. The Liverpool right back was diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury and Martinelli swiftly apologized. Because he was cautioned on the field, no further action was taken.

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FA’s Disciplinary History May Leave Martinelli Sweating

Martinelli cut a frustrated figure throughout. | Robin Jones/Getty Images

While Martinelli may be hopeful of escaping punishment for his push on Barrott, an example from this stage of the FA Cup in 2023 may prove cause for concern.

Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović was shown a red card for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in a furious protest, but the incident was still investigated and an eight-game ban was ultimately handed out.

Such an extended ban is highly unlikely for Martinelli, given Mitrović was punished for both the red card and abusive language towards an official, but violent conduct towards a referee was a factor in the length of his ban.

Martinelli’s push on Barrott was by no means as aggressive as Mitrović—the Brazilian was simply trying to usher the referee out of the way, rather than confront the official in an intimidating manner—but the issue of a player putting their hands on an official is rarely taken lightly in any context.

Barrott clearly felt there was a distinction, only handing out a yellow card rather than following Kavanagh’s example with a red card, and that is likely to factor into any retrospective thinking from the FA.

Were Martinelli to be punished, any ban would not be limited to the FA Cup. Premier League fixtures would be included and a suspension would leave Arsenal vulnerable in their pursuit of the title.

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