Miguel Almirón's red card made history in Santa Clara. The Paraguay player became the first player sent off at a World Cup for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent.
Miguel Almirón's red card made history in Santa Clara. The Paraguay player became the first player sent off at a World Cup for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent.
The controversy started in the first-half stoppage time. Paraguay was leading 1-0, after Matías Galarza scored inside the opening minutes when a scuffle broke out after a hard Hakan Çalhanoglu foul on Isidro Pitta.
During the confrontation, Almirón, 32, put a hand over his mouth as he spoke to Türkiye defender Mert Müldür. Müldür immediately alerted an official. The referee was sent to the monitor by VAR and produced a straight red card.
Almirón's reaction of disbelief was beamed around the world. His coaching staff leapt up to argue with the fourth official, and the two sets of players clashed in a pushing match in the middle of the pitch. Tensions boiled over again at the half-time whistle.
Former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison, working for BBC Radio 5 Live, backed the officials. "If you know the rules, you shouldn't do it. You've got to credit the referee and the VAR for making that decision," he said. "Not everyone would agree with it, but if those are the rules, you've got to stick by the rules."
IFAB ratified the change at a special meeting in Vancouver in April. The wording leaves little room for argument: "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."
The measure was drawn up after Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt while speaking to Vinicius Jr during a Champions League tie in February. Prestianni denied a racist accusation; UEFA later found him guilty of homophobic conduct and handed him a six-match ban, three of those games suspended.
Gianni Infantino had pushed hard for the law. Announcing it on Instagram, he wrote: "We unanimously agreed that 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 president had told Sky News in March: "If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously."
Down to ten men for more than half the match, Paraguay held on for a 1-0 victory. The result eliminated Türkiye, which exited after a second defeat.
Almirón's dismissal carries a one-match ban, ruling the former Newcastle United player out of Paraguay's final group fixture against Australia. Paraguay stay in contention for the last 32. Almirón's red card now stands as a precedent every player in the tournament will be measured against.
