‘He is useless’: Emiliano Martinez slams Spanish referee Antonio Mateu
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was his country’s penalty-shootout star. He saved two penalties in the shootout as Argentina pipped Netherlands 4-3 to cement their place in the semi-final of the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
However, after the match the Argentine goalie slammed Spanish referee Antonio Mateu.
“It was a tricky game,” said Martinez in his post-match interview.
🗣️ “Hopefully we don’t have that ref anymore… He’s useless! Van Gaal said they have an advantage if it goes to penalties, he needs to keep his mouth shut.”
👀 @emimartinezz1 didn’t hold back in his post-match interview!
🎤 @aarransummers#FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #ARG pic.twitter.com/kkqJx2JxSL
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) December 9, 2022
“I thought we controlled the game really well. We went 2-0 up, basically we controlled the game. The referee was just giving everything for them. All of a sudden they get a good header, a good flick, which I couldn’t see and then it just turned upside down.
“The referee gave everything for them. He gave 10 minutes [added time] for no reason. He was giving free-kicks outside the box for them, like two, three times. He just wanted them to score, that’s basically it. So, hopefully we don’t have him that ref anymore. He’s useless.”
“We were calm because we knew we could count on him. He always comes through for us.”
Lionel Messi on who he would share tonight’s @Budweiser Player of the Match award with🧤
🇳🇱 #NEDARG 🇦🇷 #POTM #YoursToTake #BringHomeTheBud @budfootball pic.twitter.com/B4wiVLgvGw
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 10, 2022
Martinez didn’t stop there. He also criticized Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal.
“It lit the dynamite,” Martinez said.
“In soccer, I learned that people do their talking on the field. They said a lot of stupid things before the game … That made me stronger.”
🇦🇷🧤 pic.twitter.com/qAmcU4PlkU
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 9, 2022
“I think he needs to keep his mouth shut.”
Martinez then made the save and danced a jig.
“I couldn’t help the boys making a save in the first 90 minutes,” Martinez said, “but I had to help them there.”
“Thank God I saved two, and I could have saved more,” said Martínez, who fell to the ground after Lautaro Martinez converted the winning penalty before getting to his feet and running toward the Dutch bench to insult his opponents.
