Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is facing backlash again after he made a gesture during his team’s recent tour in Kolkata, India. Martinez acted out a gesture with his hands that some people interpreted to be a racist move. But to his credit, Martinez promptly said sorry and defended himself, saying that he was just trying to lift everyone’s mood and was carried away by the occasion.
“I was just trying to be funny,” said Martinez in his interview with Sky Sports. “I was trying to make the fans laugh. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Nevertheless, people were not convinced by his explanation and maintains he did it knowing it could be taken as a racist action. They are also out for his blood, saying he should be held accountable for the incident.
“There is no excuse for what Martinez did,” according to a Twitter comment. “He should be punished for his actions,” other tweets say.
So far, it is unclear if Martinez will face any sanctions from the football league. His actions made fans talk about the issue of racism in the football community.
“This is a reminder that racism is still a problem in football,” a tweet said. “We need to do more to tackle this issue.”
Supporters of Martinez said his critics are being snowflakes about the whole thing. They said that the Indian fans didn’t seem to be bothered by it because they had a different measure and understanding of what racist gestures are towards them.
“In India, there is a different understanding of race,” according to a football fan from India. “The gesture that Martinez made would not have been considered racist here.” Nevertheless, people are still saying that Martinez’ actions were racist and we should call out racism instances in the football community.
“Racism is racism,” a fan said. “It doesn’t matter where you are in the world.” Martinez’ actions has sparked a debate on racism in the sports community and in India. But as of writing, there is no clear decision on whether he will be held accountable for his alleged racist gesture.
Who Is Emiliano Martinez?
Non-football fans might now know who Martinez is. Emiliano Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who is the goalkeeper for the Aston Villa. Aston Villa is a part of the Premiere League. Martinez was born in 1992 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. He had his professional debut in 2011 for the team Independiente. Just a year later, he played for Arsenal and stayed with the team for the next eight years.
When he first joined Arsenal, he was just the backup goalkeeper, but he was able to get into the starting lineup six years later in the 2018 season. At the Europa League final, he played a key role in Arsenal’s victory and was hailed as the club’s Player of the Season for his achievements.
In 2020, Aston Villa paid to have Martinez on the team. Following his history of plays with Arsenal, he was the obvious choice for goalkeeper and he has kept his excellent record since. In his first season with Aston Villa, he helped the team get the 11th place in the Premiere League. Again he was named the club’s Player of the Season for that.
Aside from his Aston Villa team, Martinez has also played for the Argentina national team from 2021 until present. He and his team won the Copa America tournament in 2021, and was consequently named the Golden Glove winner that year.
Martinez has made a name for himself in the football community with his excellent reflexes and goalkeeping brilliance. He has served as a key player for all the teams he has joined so far, winning his team’s respect and awards like Player of the Season and Golden Glove.
Emiliano Martinez’ Other Controversies
No matter how brilliant Martinez proves himself in the playing field, it seems his actions outside the field is always a topic of debate. This recent incident wasn’t the first time he was implicated in controversy. In 2019, he was allegedly making a racist gesture and was caught on camera. As a result, he was fined by Aston Villa and faced backlash.
Three years later in 2022, Martinez was again criticized after the World Cup final. He was allegedly taunting Kylian Mbappe, the French striker who missed the penalty shot. He was also caught holding up a doll with Mbappe’s face during the World Cup celebration of his Argentina team. These events led some fans to question his character. Whether he is racist or not is up for debate.