Miguel Almirón has made history by becoming the first player to receive a red card for covering his mouth during an argument, following his dismissal in Paraguay‘s Group D match against Türkiye at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
The dismissal occurred during the third minute of stoppage time in the first half. After a foul near midfield, Almirón and Türkiye’s right back Mert Müldür exchanged words. Almirón then covered his mouth while speaking to Müldür, prompting the Turkish player to appeal to referee Ivan Barton.
After reviewing the incident via video, Barton swiftly decided to issue a red card to Almirón.
The Atlanta United midfielder was sent off under a newly enacted rule by the International Football Association Board, stating that “any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may receive a red card.”
This rule was introduced to curb potentially racist remarks that might occur in unseen contexts, following a controversial incident involving Benfica‘s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid‘s Vinícius Júnior during the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.
According to the new regulation, players are allowed to cover their mouths in friendly exchanges, but any confrontation leads to an automatic red card.
Paraguay’s head coach Gustavo Alfaro opted not to comment on the red card but noted that it felt like “everything was conspiring” against his team at times during the match.
This marks the third red card in Paraguay’s World Cup history, following two previous dismissals in 2002 (Carlos Paredes and Roberto Acuña). Moreover, this was the seventh red card issued in the tournament, the highest tally in a World Cup since 2014, which saw 10 red cards.
The match commenced with the fastest goal of the tournament, netted by Paraguay midfielder Matías Galarza, who scored just 1 minute and 5 seconds after kickoff.
That goal ultimately secured a 1-0 victory for the 10-man Paraguay, sending Türkiye out of the World Cup.
This report was contributed by ESPN’s Global Research Team.