FIFA has announced a significant new rule for the upcoming World Cup: players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents will face a red card. The world governing body stated on Tuesday that this measure is part of a broader initiative to combat racism in football.
Following a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Vancouver, FIFA confirmed the rule change. According to the statement, competition organizers have the discretion to issue a red card to any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent.
The decision comes after controversy earlier this year involving Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. He was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during a Champions League match in February. Prestianni allegedly called Vinicius a "monkey" repeatedly while covering his mouth. Although he denied the racial abuse, he was subsequently banned for six matches for "homophobic conduct."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino voiced strong support for the new rule last month. "If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously," Infantino said. "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."
In a separate law change also announced for the World Cup, FIFA introduced red cards for players who leave the field of play in protest at a referee's decision. The statement noted that competition organizers may authorize referees to sanction such actions with a red card. The rule also applies to any team official who incites players to leave the field.
Furthermore, FIFA stated that any team causing a game to be abandoned will forfeit the match. This follows the uproar at this year's Africa Cup of Nations final, where Senegal's players and staff walked off the pitch after Morocco was awarded a penalty. Although Senegal won the final in extra time, they were later stripped of the title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The law changes were announced as delegates gathered in Vancouver ahead of Thursday's FIFA Congress, the final meeting before the World Cup begins in Canada, Mexico, and the United States this June.
