Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 20, 2026 11:07 AM IST
of Paraguay Miguel Almiron He became the first casualty of FIFA’s new rule when he was sent off by the referee for covering his mouth during a verbal exchange with a Turkish player during the Turkey vs Paraguay match. Before Almiron’s raid at the end of the first half, Paraguay had taken a 1-0 lead over Turkey in the 65th second of the match after Matias Galarza’s strike. Paraguay held a slim lead, eventually winning the match 1-0 and knocking Turkey out of the World Cup.
The new rule gives referees the power to eject players who cover their faces while running with opponents. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) Law 12 provides players with a straight red card for “use of offensive, abusive or insulting language and/or action(s)”. Referees rely on what they hear, their assistants and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) input, as well as player reactions and the context of the incident.
Under the new rules, referees will have more discretion to check the nature of conversations between opposing players. Banter is not a problem, but if a player sees an official covering his face with his hand, arm, or shirt during a skirmish, it is recommended that he be sent off.
✅ BEN EXPULSADÓ 🇵🇾 EN EL MUNDIAL 2026 🚨
Almirón 🇵🇾 became one of the first soccer players sanctioned under the new regulation that punishes the act of covering the mouth during a confrontation or interchange with a rival.
El VAR called al profe Ivan Barton 🇸🇻 para… pic.twitter.com/VlfeYwIzfS
— Rodrigo Velis (@Rodri_velis) 20 June 2026
This was a direct result of Gianluca Prestianni’s questionable behavior towards Vinicius Junior in a UEFA Champions League match in February.
Moments after netting a shocker, Vinicius was accused of racial abuse and was strongly supported by Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappe, who said Prestianni “doesn’t deserve to play this tournament”.
The 20-year-old Benfica forward claimed the Brazilian “misinterpreted what he heard” and was eventually handed a six-match ban for homophobic comments.
FIFA later extended the ban to global level, meaning Argentina would have missed their first two World Cup matches had Prestiani been included in the squad. Under Article 14 of UEFA’s disciplinary rules, racism and homophobia fall within the same category of offence, and the striker’s face shield with his jersey would certainly not have helped the ethics and disciplinary investigator appointed to investigate the incident.
This was not the first time something like this had happened. In March 2021, Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela was banned for 10 matches after racially abusing Rangers’ Glen Kamara in a Europa League match.