At this summer’s World Cup, players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents will face immediate ejection from the game.
This decision comes after FIFA proposed stricter penalties following an incident involving Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior, who alleged racial abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. The incident occurred when Prestianni covered his mouth while speaking to Vinícius during a Champions League match in February.
Following the comment, Vinícius expressed his distress to the referee, leading to a 10-minute stoppage of play in accordance with UEFA regulations.
– FIFA is set to tackle mouth-covering instances after Vinícius Jr.’s situation
Any similar behavior during this summer’s World Cup will now be met with a red card, following a unanimous decision made at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Vancouver, British Columbia.
An IFAB statement on the new rule read: “At the organizer’s discretion, any player who covers their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may face sanctions, including a red card.”
Recently, UEFA announced that Prestianni received a six-match ban for discriminatory conduct, specifically anti-gay remarks, with three matches suspended for two years and one already served provisionally.
This sanction remains subject to appeal.
FIFA initially proposed sanctions against mouth-covering during the IFAB’s annual general meeting in Wales in February, shortly after the incident occurred.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino subsequently expressed his belief that red cards should be issued to players confronting opponents while covering their mouths.
Additionally, players who leave the pitch to protest refereeing decisions—and officials who incite such actions—will also face immediate expulsion during the upcoming finals, as a result of FIFA’s recommendations to IFAB.
A team that causes a match to be abandoned will, in principle, forfeit the game.
This change is partly in response to the chaotic events during the Africa Cup of Nations final in January. During that match, Senegal’s players walked off the field following the award of a penalty to Morocco deep into injury time, causing a 17-minute delay.
Senegal eventually won the match after Brahim Díaz missed the penalty kick, and the game proceeded to extra time.
However, Senegal was stripped of their title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeal board, which awarded the trophy to Morocco last month.
Senegal is now appealing that decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
PA contributed to this report.