Arsenal winger, Gabriel Martinelli is set to avoid retrospective action from the Football Association (FA).
The Brazil international shoved referee Sam Barrott during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
According to the Evening Standard, the Arsenal star will not face any further punishment by the FA due to Barrott taking action on-field.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has claimed Martinelli should have been shown a red card for his action.
Despite playing the entire 90 minutes at St Mary’s on Saturday night, Martinelli was unable to save Arsenal from losing 2-1 as Shea Charles’ late goal for Southampton ended their dreams of winning a treble.
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The Brazilian pushed Barrott in an attempt to swiftly take a free kick, which led to a confrontation as the Gunners searched an equalizer.
Halsey States Martinelli Should Have Been Sent Off
Although Martinelli received a booking for his behaviour, Hackett feels the Arsenal forward ought to have been sent off.
He said: “Referee Sam Barrott awarded a free-kick to Arsenal, Martinelli comes rushing in and he pushes Sam out of the way.
“Now I’m sorry, Gabriel Martinelli showed total disrespect for the match official Sam Barrott in that situation.
“Although Sam issued a yellow card, for me it’s a red card. You just cannot put your hands on a referee, let alone push him out of the way.
“I thought Sam had a good game, he refereed the game well, but I think he let the refereeing community down by not sending off Gabriel Martinelli for pushing him at the award of a free-kick, so he could take the free-kick quickly.”
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