The Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez leaped over the digital advertising boards to join the roaring crowd. He had just scored his country's third goal against Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday. The strike sealed a spot for the reigning champions in the World Cup semi-finals. There they will meet Thomas Tuchel's England in Atlanta on Wednesday. Yet many wondered why the Inter Milan captain remained on the pitch.
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Subscribe Sekarang →Martinez carried a yellow card from an earlier challenge on Swiss defender Manuel Akanji. When he went into the stands, fans expected a second booking and the red card that follows. Such an offense usually costs a player his place in the next match. But the referee, Joao Pinheiro, kept his cards in his pocket.
According to the Laws of the Game, the referee acted within his rights. Law 12 states that leaving the field of play to celebrate a goal is not a mandatory cautionable offense. The rules declare that a player must be cautioned only if he climbs on a perimeter fence, provokes the opponents, covers his head with a shirt, or removes it entirely. Martinez did none of these things. He approached the supporters with discipline, and the official saw no reason to punish the manner of his joy.
Based on the new regulations for this expanded 48-team tournament, FIFA has introduced a second amnesty for bookings. Yellow cards were wiped clean at the end of the group stage and again after the quarter-finals. This measure prevents a single caution in the semi-finals from robbing a player of the final match. Because of this rule, Martinez enters the next round with a clean slate.
The English squad benefited from similar fortunes during their quarter-final victory against Norway. Jude Bellingham, Nico O'Reilly, Declan Rice, and Marc Guehi all avoided the referee's book on Saturday. They remain eligible to face Argentina, though Jarell Quansah will stay on the sidelines to serve the second match of his two-game suspension.