Adrián Martínez has been suspended for three matches by the Argentine Football Association's Tribunal de Disciplina. The Racing Club striker, known as Maravilla Martínez, received the ban after elbowing Argentinos Juniors midfielder Kevin Gutiérrez during a league match. Adrián Martínez now faces missing several key fixtures for Racing while the club prepares for an upcoming clásico against Boca Juniors. The incident marks the fifth red card of his career with the Racing shirt in 117 appearances.
The sanction stems from Article 13.1.e of the AFA Disciplinary Code. It was applied after Adrián Martínez struck Gutiérrez in the face with his elbow during the fourth matchday of the Argentine league season. Racing lost that match 2-1 to Argentinos Juniors in La Paternal. The foul occurred around the 20-minute mark of the game.
Play continued after the elbow, but referee Dóvalo stopped the match to review the incident using VAR. After watching replays, Dóvalo showed Adrián Martínez a direct red card. The Tribunal de Disciplina later confirmed the three-match suspension through its official bulletin, closing out disciplinary matters from that round of the Torneo Clausura 2026.
This is not the first time VAR has played a role in sending off Adrián Martínez. In a Torneo Apertura quarterfinal against Rosario Central, referee Darío Herrera consulted VAR footage before issuing a red card. That incident involved a rough two-handed shove on defender Emanuel Coronel, which occurred 29 minutes into the second half.
Copa Argentina has also been a difficult stage for Adrián Martínez. During a quarterfinal match against River Plate, he was sent off for two yellow cards after elbowing two different opponents, Juan Portillo and Martínez Quarta. That match ended in heartbreak for Racing, as Maximiliano Salas, a player transferred from Racing to River, scored the goal that eliminated Racing from the competition.
The first career red card for Adrián Martínez while at Racing came in 2024. It happened during a Liga Profesional match against Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata. Martínez was shown red in the 92nd minute of that game, which Racing lost 1-0.
Not every red card for Adrián Martínez has come during a defeat, however. One exception occurred during a 3-1 win over San Martín de San Juan in the round of 32 of the Copa Argentina. In that match, Martínez had already scored two goals before he was sent off. Racing still secured the victory despite playing a man down.
The suspension announcement for Adrián Martínez came alongside several other disciplinary rulings published in the same AFA bulletin. San Lorenzo goalkeeper Orlando Gill was also punished after headbutting Huracán's Lucas Blondel following Huracán's opening goal in a recent clásico at the Nuevo Gasómetro. Gill was suspended provisionally and given the standard window to submit a written defense. San Lorenzo coach Néstor Gorosito will need to continue relying on backup goalkeeper José Devecchi for at least one more match while that process unfolds.
Other sanctions handed down in Primera División affected several clubs. Gimnasia de Mendoza coach Matías Ballini was ordered to stay away from the technical area for one match or pay a fine of 1,050,000 pesos. Belgrano players Santiago Longo and Guillermo Sánchez will each miss one game. Newell's Old Boys midfielder Jerónimo Russo received the same one-match punishment.
In the Primera Nacional division, the Tribunal de Disciplina reduced an earlier three-match suspension for Enzo Pérez, stemming from an outburst during a match against Deportivo Maipú. The Tribunal ruled that Pérez had already served the reduced sanction, clearing him to play in an upcoming mendocino clásico against Godoy Cruz.
For Racing, the suspension of Adrián Martínez creates an immediate coaching challenge. Manager Juan Pablo Vojvoda now has to plan without his top striker for three matches, right as the team approaches a high-profile clásico against Boca Juniors. Given how often Adrián Martínez has drawn red cards in big moments, from Copa Argentina knockout rounds to league matches, his absence adds pressure on Racing's attack heading into a demanding stretch of the calendar.
Across his time with Racing, the pattern is clear. Adrián Martínez has now been sent off five times in 117 appearances, with VAR review playing a part in multiple of those incidents. Whether against Argentinos Juniors, Rosario Central, River Plate, or Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, the common thread has been ill-discipline in physical confrontations, often involving elbows or shoves on opposing players. The latest three-match ban keeps that pattern in the spotlight as Racing looks to move forward without one of its most productive but accident-prone forwards.
