Emiliano Martinez will still be suspended for Aston Villa's next Europa Conference League match despite escaping a red card on Thursday.
And the club's all-time leading goalscorer Gabby Agbonlahor is raging about it.
3
The Argentine took centre stage on Thursday as Unai Emery’s men booked their place in the Europa Conference League semi-final with victory over the Ligue 1 outfit.
He was booked twice but not sent off due to a widely unknown rule, but that does not save him from a ban, having received three yellow cards over the two legs.
A UEFA spokesperson confirmed the suspension for the semi-final first leg tie with Olympiacos on May 2.
Aston Villa icon Agbonlahor tweeted: "The greatest goalkeeper in the world is suspended for the first leg of the semi final!! They will do everything they can to stop us winning another European trophy! Pathetic! Some of these referees are idiots."
Read more on Aston Villa
With the score level at 3-3 on aggregate after extra time, Martinez was tasked with being Villa’s spot kick hero similar to his World Cup final exploits against France in 2022.
His behaviour during and after Argentina’s historic triumph in Qatar did not go down well in France and Lille fans made their feelings known throughout Thursday’s tie.
Martinez was booked in the 39th minute of the game but continued to play the pantomime villain at the hostile Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The 31-year-old’s antics carried on into the penalty shootout and performed a dance in front of Lille’s Ultras after saving Nabil Bentaleb’s spot kick.
Most read in Football
3
3
He persisted with his gamesmanship as Villa were preparing to take their next penalty and was subsequently brandished with another yellow card.
Much to everyone's surprise, IFAB rule 10.3 stipulates that bookings are not carried through to penalty shootouts.
Troy Deeney responds to Ollie Watkins' cheeky dig at him on social media after the ex-Watford forward called the Aston Villa man 'a failed winger trying to be a striker'
The rule states: "Yellow cards and warnings from the game are not carried forward into penalties but a player who was shown a red card during the game cannot take part.
"Players, substitutes, substituted players and team officials can get a red or yellow card during penalties."
However, if the Argentine had been sent off during the penalty shootout then a player who had finished the match would be required to step in as goalkeeper.
Rangers legend Ally McCoist admitted the avoidance of a red card but not the suspension was dumbfounding.
He told talkSPORT: “That’s ridiculous!"
Villa will, at least, be able to call on Martinez should the semi-final go to penalties after normal time in the second leg.
Read More on talkSPORT
McCoist added: “No matter who you are and what team you’re in, if you go to a penalty shootout and you look round and see him in between the posts, you’re delighted.
“You can argue about some of his antics, they maybe annoy you a little bit but at the same time you see him in the sticks and you think ‘we’ve got a chance here’."