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World Cup players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents could face a red card under a new initiative aimed at combating racism, world governing body FIFA said on Tuesday.
In a statement following a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Vancouver, FIFA confirmed that the rule is one of two law changes set to be introduced at this year’s World Cup.
“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,” FIFA said.
The new rule follows controversy earlier this year when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during a Champions League match in February.
Prestianni was alleged to have repeatedly called Vinicius a “monkey” while covering his mouth. Although he denied the accusation, he was later handed a six-match ban for “homophobic conduct.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino voiced support for the law change last month, saying: “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—simple as that.”
In a separate law change announced on Tuesday, FIFA said red cards could also be issued to players who leave the field of play in protest at a referee’s decision.
“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,” FIFA said. “This new rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play.”
FIFA added that any team responsible for causing a match to be abandoned will forfeit the game. The move follows uproar at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final, when Senegal’s players and staff walked off the pitch after Morocco was awarded a penalty. Although Senegal initially 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.
