Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is facing a potential FA disciplinary case after The Athletic reported on Friday that he has been acting as a brand ambassador for bplay, an Argentine online betting and casino platform, in an arrangement that appears to fall foul of English football’s strict gambling regulations.
Martinez, 33, has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world over the past four years, winning the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award in both 2022 and 2024 and the Yashin Trophy in 2023 and 2024.
He has been at the heart of Argentina’s golden generation, winning the 2022 World Cup, two Copa Americas and the Finalissima.
At club level, he has made 242 appearances for Aston Villa since joining from Arsenal in 2020, establishing himself as one of the main men of Unai Emery’s side.
His off-field activities, however, have now placed him in uncomfortable territory.
Bplay announced his appointment as their main ambassador in June 2024, using his image across commercials and advertising campaigns broadcast on South American soil.
A second campaign launched in October 2025 featured Martinez alongside his brother Alejandro, a professional motorsport driver.
The platform also promotes betting markets for the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Europa League, three competitions Martinez plays in with Villa, a detail that makes the association considerably more complicated under English rules.
The FA’s regulations are straightforward on this point. Professional footballers in England are banned from personally promoting, advertising or endorsing betting activity that they themselves are prohibited from participating in.
The rules make no geographic distinction, meaning they apply to activity in Argentina just as they would in England.
