Why Lautaro Martinez wasn’t given a second yellow card for going into the crowd, while other players have been
Argentina’s forward Lautaro Martinez jumped over the advertising boards to celebrate with fans after scoring their third goal against Switzerland on Saturday. His second goal of the World Cup helped the reigning champions reach the semi-finals, where they will play Thomas Tuchel’s England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
However, some fans are wondering if the Inter Milan captain will be able to play against the Three Lions. Argentina was leading 2-1 in extra time against the 10-man Swiss team, thanks to a stunning goal from Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez. Martinez then scored a third goal during stoppage time in Kansas City, jumping over the digital boards to celebrate after rolling the ball into the net on a breakaway.
Normally, jumping into the crowd would lead to a yellow card, and a second yellow would have meant Martinez missing the next match against England. But the referee, Joao Pinheiro, didn’t give him any punishment, which raised questions among fans.
In fact, Martinez’s celebration doesn’t automatically get a yellow card. The referee used his discretion following the Laws of the Game, which say that players can celebrate goals but shouldn’t take too long or do choreographed celebrations that waste time. Leaving the field to celebrate isn’t a bookable offense, but players should return quickly. A player only gets a caution for celebrations if they take off their shirt, climb a fence, or do something dangerous, which Martinez did not.
Martinez did get a yellow card earlier in extra time for a foul, but this won’t stop him from playing if Argentina beats England. Because the World Cup has expanded to 48 teams, FIFA has wiped out yellow cards twice during the tournament to prevent players from missing important games due to accumulated bookings.
Just like Martinez, England’s Jude Bellingham, Nico O’Reilly, Declan Rice, and Marc Guehi avoided yellow cards in their quarter-final win over Norway and will be available for the semi-final. Jarell Quansah, however, will still be serving his two-match ban.