Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal poised to dodge additional FA sanctions over referee shove

The official Barrott opted to caution Martinelli with a yellow after being shoved by the Arsenal forward while aiming for a prompt free kick.

That said, Martinelli will face no further sanctions past the initial caution.

The Athletic reports that given Barrotts response during the moment, the FA intends neither to probe the event nor to apply sterner measures.

Former referee Mark Halsey commented on it then: I must say, Gabriel Martinelli displayed complete disregard for the official Sam Barrott right there.

Even though Sam gave a yellow, in my view it warrants a red. One simply cannot lay hands on an official, much less shove them aside.

You need to consider nationwide, across weekends, with grassroots referees handling their matches. What signal does this give to those local officials?