Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez revealed on Friday that captain Lionel Messi had warned him againt the controversial World Cup Golden Glove celebration.
During award ceremony, Martinez was handed the Golden Glove after which he celebrated inappropriately.
“Do I regret the celebrations? Well, there are things I wouldn’t do again in the same way,” Martinez was quoted as saying by France Football.
“I didn’t set out to hurt anyone. Throughout my career, I’ve played with French people and I’ve never had a problem… You can ask Giroud what kind of person I am. I really like the French culture and mentality. The gesture I made with the best goalkeeper trophy was a joke with my team-mates. I had already done it at the Copa America, and they all said to me: ‘No way’ to do it again. Even Leo told me that. I did it for them, nothing more. It lasted a second and that was it.”
FIFA opened a disciplinary case against the Argentine Football Association on Friday for alleged offensive player misconduct and violations of fair play at the World Cup final.
FIFA cited its media and marketing regulations for prosecuting the case, which appears to relate to a boisterous celebration by players running through the interview zone after the game on Dec. 18.