Gabriel Martinelli slammed for ‘total disrespect’ of referee push as Arsenal star told he should’ve been sent off for Sam Barrott shove during FA Cup loss at Southampton

According to The Sun, Halsey insists that Martinelli should have been dismissed for his physical altercation with Barrott during the 2-1 loss to Southampton on April 4. The incident took place in the dying moments of the FA Cup tie as Arsenal frantically chased an equaliser. Halsey, who officiated in the top flight for 14 years, believes the yellow card shown to the 24-year-old was far too lenient given the contact made. The former official argued that such aggressive actions undermine the authority of referees at every level of the game, demanding stricter punishments to protect match officials.

The flashpoint occurred in the 94th minute after Shea Charles put the hosts ahead. When the visitors were awarded a free-kick, the forward attempted to restart play quickly and shoved the referee. Halsey was scathing in his assessment of the Brazilian's conduct during the heated exchange. He stated: "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."

Beyond the immediate ramifications for the club, Halsey expressed deep concern over the negative message this sends to the grassroots game. He believes that elite players have a responsibility to set an example for how officials are treated on local parks every weekend. Halsey added: "You've got to look around the country, up and down, Saturday and Sundays where we have local park referees going out and doing their games. What message does that send out to our local park referees? 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."

The charity Ref Support UK have also weighed in on the controversy, urging the Football Association to take retrospective action against both the player and his team. They believe that failing to punish such a blatant act of aggression could lead to an escalation of similar incidents. In a statement, the organisation declared: "The FA cannot let him get away with that. This will be a missed opportunity if they don’t take action against Arsenal and Martinelli. There has been too many incidents in football where refs are pushed or shoved and football cannot let it escalate any more. I would have loved to see the ref send him off."