Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who also won the Golden Glove, has been subject to a probe after Noel Le Graet, the president of the French Football Federation, confirmed that he has lodged a formal complaint with Argentina Football Association (AFA) over the goalkeeper’s taunts of Kylian Mbappe.
Le Graet, quoted by Ouest-France, said he has reached out to AFA president Claudio Tapia to make his feelings clear on the situation in a formal fashion by writing a letter of complaint.
“I wrote to my counterpart from the Argentine Federation, I find these excesses abnormal, in the context of a sports competition, and I find it difficult to understand,” he conceded. “This is going too far. Mbappe’s behavior has been exemplary.”
Martinez mocked France star Mbappe during the celebration of their victory of the Qatar World Cup back in Buenos Aires. The Aston Villa custodian held aloft a toy baby with Mbappe’s face plastered on it. Martinez has taunted the Paris Saint Germain forward a number of times in the past.
The latest one came after Martinez called for a minute of silence on the Frenchman’s behalf in the dressing room just after winning the World Cup at the Lusail Stadium in Doha. Mbappe became the first man in 56 years to score a hat trick in a World Cup final but lost the trophy after Argentina beat France 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
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Before the World Cup, Mbappe sparked a controversy when he said, ‘football in South America is not as advanced as in Europe.’
“The advantage we have in Europe is that we play among ourselves with high-level matches all the time, such as the Nations League for example. When we arrive at the World Cup, we are ready, whereas Brazil and Argentina do not have this level in South America. Football is not as advanced as in Europe. That’s why at the last World Cups, it was always the Europeans who won,” he was quoted as saying by TNTSPORTSBR.
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