The Football Association (FA) has reportedly reached a verdict on whether to take further action against Gabriel Martinelli after the Arsenal star manhandled Liverpool’s Conor Bradley in the closing stages of Thursday’s 0-0 draw at the Emirates.
Martinelli replaced Leandro Trossard in the 64th minute as the Gunners pushed for a winning goal. But the Brazilian ended up courting huge controversy for his antics after Bradley went down injured.
With the added time already completed, Martinelli seemed to assume it was a time-wasting ploy. He dropped the ball on the Northern Ireland international and then attempted to push him off the pitch, which would allow the game to continue. Martinelli’s unsportsmanlike conduct, however, drew the fury of Liverpool players, and he was booked by referee Anthony Taylor in the aftermath.
The 24-year-old has been widely criticized for his behavior, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville calling him an ‘idiot’ and branding his actions as ‘disgraceful.’
According to the Evening Standard, Martinelli will not face any retrospective action from the Football Association, with the governing body deeming that Taylor dealt with the situation appropriately.
The source added:
“In-game incidents are only subject to retrospective action from English football’s governing body when the FA feels a referee and their VAR team have missed a key incident or have missed crucial elements of an incident. This does not apply to Martinelli’s push on Bradley, as the Brazilian was cautioned.”
Meanwhile, Martinelli has since issued an apology, stating that he wasn’t aware of the extent of Bradley’s injury and wished the Reds defender a quick recovery.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta defends Martinelli after Bradley incident in Liverpool draw
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta came to the defense of Martinelli, saying that the winger wasn’t aware of what happened. He described the player as loving before adding that he will reach out to Bradley to ask about his situation. He told reporters:
“Knowing Gabi, if anybody knows Gabi, he's an incredible, lovely guy. And probably he didn't realise what happened. I hope that Conor as well, I will have a word with him now, with him, to understand that. But probably he didn't recognise what happened.”
Likewise, Liverpool boss Arne Slot refused to throw Martinelli under the bus, stating that the Arsenal man reacted based on the precedent of time-wasting tactics that have become prevalent in the sport.