New red card rule allows referees to send off players who cover their mouths or walk off the pitch in protest against a decision.
Footballers covering their mouths during a confrontation with an opponent or any other player on the pitch will be given a red card under a new rule approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
The board held a special meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday to pass FIFA-approved amendments to address inappropriate behaviour ahead of the World Cup in North America.
“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,” IFAB said.
This change follows a UEFA Champions League match where Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni made racially abusive comments directed at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior while pulling his jersey up over his mouth to hide what he was saying.
Another new amendment permits officials to issue red cards to players who leave the field in protest of a referee’s decision. It also applies to any team official who convinces their team’s players to walk off in protest.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino pushed for the changes after a heated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final when Senegal’s team walked off the field.
They left during stoppage time of the AFCON final in January when host nation Morocco was awarded a penalty with the score at 0-0. Play was delayed for nearly 15 minutes before Morocco’s spot-kick was saved. Senegal scored in extra time to win the title, but were later stripped of it by an appeals panel of African football’s governing body. The case will now be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
These new red card rules are not mandatory, but they give competition organisers like FIFA the option to use them.
IFAB said in its statement that all 48 teams competing in the World Cup will be informed of these amendments in the coming weeks.
Last week, UEFA handed Prestianni a six-game ban – three of the games deferred for a probationary period – for the verbal abuse, which it said was homophobic. UEFA could not prove the racial insult, which Prestianni denied, though he admitted using a homophobic slur.
If Prestianni is selected for Argentina’s World Cup squad, he must sit out the defending champions’ first two matches in June, although the ban can be appealed.
The World Cup kicks off June 11 with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City.
