The action of Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez caused controversy: the player justified himself

An unpleasant incident occurred in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Inter and Barcelona (4:3, first leg – 3:3). In the heat of the first half, a conflict arose between the players of the two teams. In particular, the Catalans' defender Inigo Martinez spat at the opponent's defender Francesco Acerbi, which caused controversy.

This episode occurred in the 24th minute after a penalty scored by Hakan Calhanoglu. During the celebration of the goal, Acerbi shouted at the opponent's players, while Martinez made an inappropriate gesture towards him and spat in the opponent's direction. However, the referee of the match, Szymon Marciniak, ignored the incident and showed the player neither a warning nor a red card.

In a post-match interview with the press, the Spanish defender explained his actions and responded to the criticism directed at him.

– “Yes, what I did was wrong. I understand that very well and I regret my action. But you have to understand the situation correctly – Acerbi celebrated the score 2:0 and came close to me and shouted. It was a very provocative move. At that moment, I could not control my emotions and spat in his direction, but it did not touch him. If I had spat in his direction, the referee would have shown me a red card immediately, I know that very well and I have no doubt about it,” Martinez explained.

The footballer’s action caused serious discussions on social networks and sports publications. While some football experts and fans sharply criticized Martinez’s action, another group noted that he gave in to emotions and that such situations happen in important matches.

The referee’s inattention to this episode in post-match analysis is also causing widespread discussions. In particular, questions are being raised about how the VAR system assessed this situation and why the referees did not take action.

Inigo Martinez himself apologized to his team and fans after this episode and said that he would try to prevent such situations in the future. In addition, UEFA is also expected to issue a separate statement on this matter.

In any case, despite such situations occurring on the football field, the importance of maintaining sports etiquette and mutual respect was once again reminded.

It seems that the heated arguments and disputes between Barcelona and Inter will be discussed for a long time. Inigo Martinez, however, is trying to justify himself and put an end to these disputes.

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