Andre Onana will not miss Manchester United’s FA Cup final showdown with Manchester City because bans for accumulated yellow cards end at the quarter-final stage.
The United goalkeeper received a yellow card for time-wasting in regulation time in as well as during the penalty shoot-out win against Coventry on Sunday.
Typically, two yellow cards equals a red and a player is sent off, but bookings from regulation time do not carry over into the shoot-out, meaning Onana was spared a nightmare.
It also means he will play in the final on May 25 because the only way to receive a ban for that is via a red card, not accumulated yellows.
However, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will miss Villa’s Europa Conference League semi-final first leg for the same infringement.
Andre Onana will not miss Manchester United’s FA Cup final despite gaining two yellow cards against Coventry
However, UEFA ruled that Emiliano Martinez will miss Aston Villa’s next Europa Conference League game
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Martinez was for time-wasting in the last-eight second leg against Lille and again during the penalty shoot-out, where he make the decisive save from Benjamin Andre.
Villa always believed Martinez would be banned but UEFA themselves were less clear.
The governing body’s rule states that yellow cards collected during the competition are removed from a player’s record after the quarter-finals.
Yet even though Martinez was not sent off in the shoot-out, he was still booked twice on the night.
After hours of deliberation, UEFA decided to suspend Martinez after he collected three bookings across the entire tie against Lille. He will miss the first leg of the semi-final against Olympiacos.
Speaking after the game on Thursday, Martinez said: ‘It’s all about reputation because the other goalie was doing exactly the same thing [time wasting in normal play].
‘I got a yellow after 30 minutes and we were losing the game so I don’t know what the ref wants from me.
‘Then there was no ball on the penalty spot during the shoot out. I was asking for a ball from the ball boy and I get booked. I just don’t understand the rules.’
Looking across at Martinez, you suspect Onana will be feeling a little fortunate, even if his availability for the final is perfectly legal by the rules of the game.
In fact, it is rather fortuitous for United that they have reached the grand stage for a second year running.
Onana was booked for time-wasting in regulation time against Coventry and received a second yellow in the penalty shoot-out
However, bans for accumulated bookings end at the quarter-final stage – you can only be ruled out of the final with a red
UEFA ruled differently on Martinez, banning him from their Europa Conference League semi-final first leg after hours of deliberation
They had been 3-0 up against Coventry but threw that away as the Championship side mounted a spectacular comeback in the last 20 minutes.
In extra-time, Coventry saw numerous chances go begging and had a last-gasp goal ruled out for Haji Wright being marginally offside, as decided by VAR.
United then won the shoot-out 4-2 to book their encounter against Manchester City, who beat them 2-1 at the last hurdle in 2023.
It will be the first time two teams have contested the FA Cup final in successive years since 1885.
