The world’s football governing body, FIFA, has adopted a new rule that would see players shown red cards if they cover their mouths during confrontation starting from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The law amendment was formally approved during the International Football Association Board in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday, following the initial proposal at the IFAB’s annual general meeting in February.
The implementation followed the discriminatory incident that occurred during the UEFA Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica in February, when Vinicius Junior accused Gianluca Prestianni of calling him a “monkey” while covering his mouth with his jersey.
However, Prestianni rejected the accusation of using racial slurs against Vinicius, insisting he had only called him ‘cagon’ (coward) and a ‘maricon’ (faggot). He was eventually given a six-match suspension by UEFA last week.
In response to the chaos that marred the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, FIFA also implemented an additional amendment allowing referees to send off any player who leaves the pitch in protest of match officials’ decisions.
The rule also applies to any team official who instigates players to leave the field of play, while any team that forces a match to be abandoned would automatically forfeit the game.
“Players covering their mouths in situations of confrontation with opponents: 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 in a statement.
It added, “Players leaving 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.
“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.”