WATCH: Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez slaps a TV cameraman after FIFA World Cup qualifier match
New Delhi: A TV cameraman said that Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez “slapped me” after Colombia’s 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifying match.
Jhonny Jackson, a cameraman from for Caracol Television and RCN Deportes told Colombian media he approached Martinez after the final whistle in Barranquilla on Tuesday as the goalkeeper greeted another player. Footage he captured shows the World Cup winner who Argentines know as Dibu hitting the camera, which quickly shakes to the ground after the impact.
“Out of the blue he slapped me,” Jackson told RCN Deportes on Wednesday. “I felt angry, very angry. I was working, just like he was. He was playing and I was shooting with my camera.”
Emiliano Martinez was not a happy lad last night. pic.twitter.com/fx84wMXnpW
— Football Tweet (@Football__Tweet) September 11, 2024
Even after the incident, Jackson sent a reconciliatory message to Martínez. “Dibu, my brother, how are you? I am Jhonny Jackson, the cameraman you assaulted… I wanted to tell you it is all good. Everyone has lost a match in their life. This defeat clearly meant a lot to you.”
Colombia’s association of sports journalists responded by calling FIFA to take action against Martínez. ACORD’s president, Faiver Hoyos Hernández condemned the goalkeeper’s actions and urged FIFA to impose an “exemplary sanction.”
There has been no comment from Martínez or South American football governing body CONMEBOL regarding the allegations.
One for Wolves fans – Yerson Mosquera rises to head home past Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez
The cross from former Everton man James Rodríguez
— Ralph Hannah (@paraguayralph) September 10, 2024