This article contains adult content that may be inappropriate for minors. Please confirm that you are 18 years or older to continue. This article contains images or details that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. Emiliano Martínez is suspected of violating the rules of the English Football Association (FA) regarding the promotion of betting companies. According to The Athletic, the World Cup champion with Argentina has been an ambassador for the brand bplay, a sports betting site from his home country, for over a year and a half, according to a statement from the company itself. The image of Martínez, 33, is prominently used by bplay, an online sports betting and casino platform founded in 2020 and regulated in Argentina. FA regulations strictly prohibit professional footballers in England from promoting, advertising, or personally endorsing any betting activity in which they themselves are prohibited from participating. One particular rule specifies that a player cannot advertise betting activities that are forbidden to them, such as betting on games or competitions in which they participate or can influence. Bplay offers betting on the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Europa League, three of the four competitions in which Aston Villa has participated this season. The partnership with the betting company has already led to several campaigns. A post on the bplay website from June 2024 features Martínez as an ambassador, referencing a commercial starring the goalkeeper. More recently, in October 2025, a new campaign was launched featuring Martínez and his brother, Alejandro, a professional motorsports driver. In the campaign, the brothers swap gear to symbolize how 'sports can unite even those who walk different paths,' according to bplay. This is not an unprecedented case related to betting in England. In 2019, former Everton defender Yerry Mina was fined 11,000 euros and warned about his future conduct after participating in a television advertisement for the Colombian betting company Betjuego. Interestingly, Aston Villa itself has Betano, a betting company, as its main sponsor on the front of the shirts. The agreement, valid for two years, ends at the end of the current season, anticipating new Premier League rules that prohibit betting sponsorships on the front of shirts starting from the 2026/27 season. Following the suspension of Ivan Toney for betting-related offenses, the FA has intensified player education on these rules, implementing online courses for youth academies and mandatory workshops for professionals.
English Football Association The Athletic remains central to this story.
English Football Association The Athletic remains central to this story.
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