The FA has responded after Gabriel Martinelli pushed the referee in the FA Cup quarter-final match where Arsenal lost to Southampton.
On 6 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the FA took action following Gabriel Martinelli pushing the referee during the FA Cup quarter-finals, or the last eight stage, in which Arsenal, managed by Spanish coach Mikel Arteta, were defeated 1-2 away by Southampton on Saturday night.
The incident happened in stoppage time at the 94th minute. Gabriel Martinelli tried to quickly take a free kick, but the referee was positioned in a way that unintentionally obstructed his play. Martinelli then used his hand to push the referee and was shown a yellow card. Afterwards, there was speculation whether the player would face retrospective punishment.
It was recently confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli will not face retrospective punishment because the referee had already issued a yellow card for the incident, which concludes the disciplinary matter. Therefore, the FA cannot impose any further retrospective sanctions under the rules.