Fifa introduce red cards for players covering mouths at World Cup
Players competing at this summer’s World Cup will face a red card if they cover their mouths during confrontations under new rules approved by the Fifa Council in Vancouver.
The global governing body confirmed the strict measure alongside another amendment threatening dismissals for players who leave the pitch in protest.
Both law changes were approved as competition opt-ins by the International Football Association Board (Ifab) and will be immediately adopted for the upcoming tournament.
Referees will retain absolute discretion when considering the circumstances before issuing a sending off.
Prestianni incident prompts clampdown
Scrutiny over concealed conversations peaked in February when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt to speak to Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr during a Champions League fixture.
The Argentine youth international was subsequently investigated by Uefa and handed a six-match ban, three of which were suspended, for homophobic conduct.
Following an agreement at Ifab’s annual general meeting in Wales, the issue was escalated to the Fifa Council agenda.
‘If you don’t have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth’
Fifa president Gianni Infantino strongly backed the introduction of the dismissal, stating he wanted the rule to serve as a powerful deterrent.
“If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously.”
“There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.”
“If you do not have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. That’s it, as simple as that.”
Afcon walkout leads to protest penalties
The secondary rule change regarding pitch walkouts follows controversial scenes during the recent Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal.
The Senegalese squad temporarily retreated to the changing rooms to protest a penalty awarded to their North African opponents.
Although the match eventually resumed and Senegal claimed a 1-0 victory, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) subsequently stripped them of the title and awarded Morocco a 3-0 default win.
Under the new Fifa guidelines, any team official who incites players to leave the field of play will also be dismissed.
Furthermore, a team that causes a match to be abandoned through such protests will automatically forfeit the fixture.
