3 min readApr 29, 2026 09:57 AM IST
The sight of footballers covering their mouths while confronting players from the opposition team during games is a common sight. But now, at events like the upcoming FIFA World Cup, such acts might receive red cards from the refs.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously approved the rule at a special meeting in Vancouver, Canada along with another rule which states that players who leave the field in protest at a referee’s decision may be red-carded.
“As was agreed at The IFAB’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in February, these decisions follow thorough FIFA-led consultations with all key stakeholders,” a statement read. “At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card,” it said.
Both of the FIFA-proposed laws were unanimously approved by IFAB at a special meeting in Vancouver, Canada and will be implemented for this year’s World Cup.
The new law comes after it was advocated for by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who had said in February that any player who covers their mouth while speaking to opponents during confrontations should be sent off. Infantino’s comments had come after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr had accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of saying discriminatory slurs in an ill-tempered Champions League game. Prestianni was accused of abusing Vinicius by covering his mouth with his shirt after the Brazil star had scored Real Madrid’s winner.
Despite Prestianni and his club vehemently denying the accusations, he was slapped with a six-match suspension by UEFA for discriminatory conduct that was deemed homophobic.
The second rule is an attempt by the governing body to prevent a repeat of the scenes witnessed at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final where Senegal’s players had walked off the pitch in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded to hosts Morocco.
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“At the discretion of the competition organiser, the referee may sanction with a red card any player who leaves the field of play in protest at a referee’s decision,” IFAB said.
“This new rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play. A team that causes a match to be abandoned will, in principle, forfeit the match.”
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