The French Football Association have filed an official complaint against Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez for brutally trolling Kylian Mbappe post the FIFA World Cup 2022 final between Argentina and France.
Videos of Martinez taunting Mbappe after Argentina’s win in Qatar have gone viral. In one of the video from the Argentina dressing room, players danced around after their triumph and they were all heard singing “a minute’s silence for Mbappe”
In another video, Martinez is seen mocking Mbappe during Argentina’s trophy parade by holding a baby doll with the French star’s face on it.
Noel Le Graet, president of the French FA wrote a formal letter of complaint and said Martinez’s actions have gone ‘too far’.
“I wrote to my counterpart from the Argentine Federation, I find these excesses abnormal, in the context of a sports competition, and I find it difficult to understand,” he said.
'Despicable thing'
“I thought it was a pretty despicable thing to do (throwing the ball away). I can understand the mind games and heat of the moment you do whatever it takes.
“But I thought that was totally unnecessary. If you’re Aurelien Tchouameni walking past Martinez (in the guard of honour) you probably feel like biffing him one.
“I didn’t like that at all but I can understand Martinez in that moment trying to win a World Cup. But he didn’t just chuck it a couple of yards away, he launched it 15, 20 yards away. I really felt for Tchouameni in that moment.
“That wasn’t on. It would have been interesting if Martinez had been booked for that because he got one on the next penalty.”
Meanwhile, French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera also condemned Martinez’s actions and said she may contact her Argentine counterpart.
“I am not ruling out discussing this with my counterpart,” she said, adding that France’s soccer body had also written to Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), over the affair.
“I find all of this quite pitiful,” she added.
