Emi Martinez loses his rag and hits digicam as operator fumes ‘I used to be very offended’
A camera operator has expressed his “anger” after Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez lashed out at his equipment.
Martinez represented Argentina in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia during the international break. After the match, which saw the world champions suffer a rare 2-1 defeat, Martinez was followed by a camera as he shook hands with the opposition, including Villa teammate Jhon Duran.
The goalkeeper, who was booed by home fans during the game, then became annoyed and firmly slapped the camera. The act of aggression quickly drew criticism from fans on social media, with one blasting on X: “People think we dislike Martínez because of his nationality or because of what he earns, no, we dislike him because he is the opposite of what sport should represent, he is a very bad winner and a worse loser, he should stop dancing and learn some manners that he needs at his age.”
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Meanwhile, the camera operator Jhonny Jackson, per Semana, said: “It made me angry, it made me very angry because I am working, just like him, but I didn’t say anything to him. I wanted to tell him ‘Calm down brother, in life everyone has lost a game and maybe that defeat meant a lot to you, but go ahead Dibu’.”
The incident could result in Martinez facing sanctions from the South American football federation, CONMEBOL, whose Disciplinary Code states that acts of violence, aggression or causing damage can be punished with a ban of up to five matches.
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Argentina, minus Lionel Messi, were beaten as ex-Everton midfielder James Rodriguez’s 60th-minute penalty sealed the victory. Rodriguez, 33, now playing for La Liga’s Rayo Vallecano, set up Wolves’ Yerson Mosquera to score the opener.
Nicolas Gonzalez equalised for Argentina three minutes into the second half, but when Nicolas Otamendi fouled Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz, Rodriguez converted the penalty following a VAR review.
Despite the loss, Argentina still lead the 10-team group by two points, with Colombia trailing in second place. The top six teams will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. The seventh-placed team will face an intercontinental play-off against a team from another confederation.
