FA must change rules and BAN Gabriel Martinelli after disgraceful Liverpool act

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has been widely criticized for pushing Conor Bradley just moments after the Liverpool defender seemingly picked up a knee injury

Gabriel Martinelli deserves to be banned(Image: Getty Images)

It was a moment that left everyone in shock.

With just seconds left of Thursday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates, Conor Bradley fell to the ground while trying to clear the ball from danger. Most people immediately feared for the defender, as he appeared to twist his knee. "Doesn't look good... something's gone," uttered Gary Neville on commentary for Sky Sports.

But Gabriel Martinelli's reaction was different. He dropped the ball on top of Bradley before nudging his knee into him and aggressively pushing him off the pitch. Neville described Martinelli as an "idiot" for his actions, and it's hard to disagree with that.

Liverpool and Arne Slot will be dreading the diagnosis on Bradley's injury; there's a very real possibility he's picked up a serious knee complaint. Thousands of Liverpool fans would've thought of those dreaded three letters - ACL - as Bradley hit the floor in agony.

What Martinelli did was disgraceful. The Brazilian winger was probably desperate to resume the game and try to find a winner, but his actions were inexcusable and deplorable. He showed complete disregard for another player's safety.

And what is his punishment? A yellow card. That's what referee Anthony Taylor gave Martinelli on Thursday.

Martinelli's actions were shocking(Image: Getty Images)

To say that was a lenient punishment would be the understatement of the season. Not many players would get away with throwing a ball at a fellow professional before pushing him, let alone one that's lying stricken on the floor.

Taylor let Bradley down by not sending Martinelli off. And so did the video assistant referee (VAR), John Brooks, who should've persuaded his colleague to look at the pitch-side monitor and change his decision.

Martinelli apologized to Bradley for his behavior, and rightly so, but that shouldn't excuse him from being properly punished. But, as per a report on Friday, it's unlikely that the Football Association (FA) will take retrospective action against Martinelli.

That's because Taylor booked him. According to the FA's rules, it "can take retrospective disciplinary action if video evidence clearly shows that a player has committed a dismissal offence that wasn’t seen by the match officials or reviewed by VAR."

But it can only do that if "the specific act of misconduct was not seen or reviewed," and Taylor clearly saw enough to show Martinelli a yellow card.

Forget the rules; common sense must be applied here. Martinelli deserved a red card on Thursday and, therefore, deserves to be handed a minimum three-game ban (emphasis on minimum). Anything less than that feels completely unfair.

A suspension for Martinelli won't change Liverpool's season; the Reds have already faced Arsenal twice in the Premier League this term and won't be challenging for the title after falling 14 points behind the Gunners. It also won't make any difference to Bradley, who is probably waiting anxiously to discover the extent of his knee injury.

But it would be ridiculous for Martinelli to get away with such poor behavior. What kind of example is the FA setting if it doesn't properly punish the Arsenal star? Will it become acceptable to start pushing injured players?

The FA must do the right thing; it must hand Martinelli a suspension.