Villa keeper defends South American football
Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has firmly responded to criticism from Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso regarding World Cup qualifying formats.
The confrontation emerged after Gattuso called for a review of the qualification system, highlighting what he perceives as an imbalance between different continental confederations.
Gattuso's format complaints
The Italy manager expressed particular concern about the South American qualification process, where six teams qualify directly from a ten-team group, with a seventh entering a play-off against an Oceania representative.
Gattuso stated: "We've talked about it before, but to see South American groups with 10 teams, of which six qualify and the seventh goes to a play-off against Oceania... the biggest regret is that - not qualifying directly. We definitely need to review the criteria."
Italy currently sit second behind Norway in UEFA qualifying Group I, putting them at risk of entering the play-offs to reach the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Martinez's passionate defence
Martinez, who is currently on international duty preparing for Argentina's friendly against Angola, delivered a sharp rebuttal to the Italian legend's comments.
The Villa shot-stopper highlighted the challenging conditions faced by South American teams, stating: "They always play on perfect, wet pitches and they don't know what South America is like."
His response underscores the significant differences in playing conditions and travel demands between European and South American qualification campaigns.
Meanwhile, Martinez's Argentina have already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup as they aim to defend their title, sitting comfortably at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table.
