W/Cup: Almirón Becomes First Player Sent Off Under New Mouth-Covering Rule

Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón received the first-ever red card for talking with his mouth covered during his country’s World Cup game against Turkey.

The incident occurred in first-half added time of Paraguay’s Group D match in Santa Clara, California on Friday, with Almirón sent off following a VAR review involving referee Iván Barton going to the pitch-side monitor.

Play had been stopped for a foul on Paraguay’s Isidro Pitta and, as players from both teams gathered around the striker who was on the floor by the near touchline, Almirón appeared to say something to Turkey’s Mert Müldür while covering his mouth with his hand.

Müldür immediately ran off towards the assistant referee, pointing at Almirón and miming the action the Atlanta United forward had done.

Almirón’s red card means he will automatically miss Paraguay’s final group-stage match against Australia next week. FIFA also has the power to extend his suspension if its disciplinary committee chooses to.

Paraguay were leading 1-0 at the time of Almirón’s sending off, thanks to a second-minute goal from Matías Galarza, and held on to win the match.

The red card Almirón received was the first of its kind after the International Football Association Board which sets the rules of the game, changed its laws in April to include players covering their mouths in instances of confrontation being punishable with a red card.

That law came in following an incident involving Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior and Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni during a UEFA Champions League match in February.

In that game, Vinicius Jr alleged that Prestianni had racially abused him when the Argentine spoke to him while covering his mouth with his shirt. Prestianni denied racially abusing Vinicius Jr and was later hit with a six-game ban, three of which were suspended, for homophobic conduct.