A new law that forbids shootout theatrics like Argentina’s Emi Martinez did at the World Cup will be confirmed today by the game’s top officials. The game’s law-making body, the International FA Board, which sets rules for the game, has decided to impose a severe crackdown after Emi Martinez employed every trick in the book to help Argentina defeat the Netherlands and France in penalty shootouts at the World Cup.
SunSport disclosed that the proposals were heavily debated in January. And today in London at its annual general meeting, Ifab will formally announce the legal change that will take effect on July 1. The amendment to Law 14 will state: “Goalkeepers must not behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker at a penalty kick or during penalties.”
Emi Martinez’s antics force strict laws over s***housery
The modification to Law 14 mandates bookings and, ultimately, expulsion for keepers who consciously use gamesmanship techniques during spot-kicks or shootouts. Martinez’s terrible actions in Qatar served as the impetus for the new law.
The Villa goalkeeper displayed a variety of behaviours against Holland in the semifinal match and against France in the championship game, including once booting the ball out of the area and once scooping it up, moving back to his line, and then discarding it. This will no longer be permitted and will result in a warning the first time and a red card the second time, forcing an outfield player to play goal during a shootout.
Referees will also be required to add extra minutes to each half to allow for goal celebrations, substitutions, injury stoppages, and VAR interventions. Even though England’s opening match against Iran lasted 117 minutes, this does not mean that World Cup-style timekeeping must be mandated in the Premier League. Instead, it is anticipated that most games’ second halves will be extended by five or six minutes.
Ifab will also confirm rules for what constitutes “deliberate play” by a defender, meaning that if the ball reaches an attacking player, they won’t be judged to be offside. Harry Kane’s equalising penalty against Germany in the Nations League last year would, for instance, no longer be awarded because he would be marked for being offside and the defender’s touch would be deemed inadvertent.
This all comes down as a result of Emi Martinez’s absurd antics at the World Cup in Qatar. He used such antics in almost all seven of Argentina’s games enroute to glory. Although they helped him keep three clean-sheets, win two penalty shootouts for his side and eventually win the World Cup and the Golden Glove, Emi Martinez was brutally slammed for taking help of poor tactics.
He even mocked PSG forward Kylian Mbappe relentlessly during the final and put mind games into play during Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni’s penalties which were missed, paving way for Argentina’s glory. The Villa shot-stopper’s obscene celebration with the Golden Glove, wherein he held it at his crotch too drew ire from players and footballing legends. It seems the law is finally going to put an end to this.