Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez has been suspended for the first leg of the club’s Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiakos.
Villa will host the Greek side at Villa Park on May 2 with the return leg a week later in Piraeus.
UEFA confirmed the suspension on Friday, stating that Martinez received three yellow cards in their Europa Conference League quarter-final against Lille, which Villa won in a dramatic penalty shoot-out on Thursday after a 3-3 aggregate draw.
The Argentine shot-stopper was carded in the first leg and during normal time of the second leg. He received a second yellow for his gamesmanship during the shoot-out.
Martinez was not sent off as yellow cards during normal and extra-time do not carry forward to a penalty shoot-out.
Real Madrid beat Man City to reach Champions League semi-finals
However, the yellow card does count as a third booking, meaning he will sit out of the first leg of the semi-final.
Martinez, however, said he doesn’t understand the rules, adding that it was his destiny to be the penalty shoot-out hero.
He told Sky Sports: “It has been a hell of a ride all of my career. I am a believer and a hard worker and it was my destiny today.
“I always say in all my career, I owe my team-mates in those moments, even when we were watching Real Madrid last night the manager was saying we might go to penalties and in those moments I own my box.
“I get booked after 30 minutes and we’re losing the game so I don’t know what the referee wanted for me.
“In the shoot-out, there was no ball on the penalty spot and I was asking for a ball from the ball boy and then I got booked.
“I just don’t understand the rules.”
- NLC: How we arrived at N615,000 new minimum wage demand - May 2, 2024
- Newcastle’s Tonali bags two-month ban for betting - May 2, 2024
- NSCDC arrests quack doctor over pregnant woman’s death in Osun - May 2, 2024
