{"id":6150,"date":"2026-07-01T23:34:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T23:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6150"},"modified":"2026-07-01T23:34:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T23:34:42","slug":"why-are-world-cup-refs-giving-red-cards-to-players-covering-their-mouths-when-confronting-opponents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6150","title":{"rendered":"Why are World Cup refs giving red cards to players covering their mouths when confronting opponents?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>By STEVE REED, AP Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>World Cup players were warned before the tournament about a new rule that would result in an immediate red card for anyone covering their mouth when verbally confronting another player.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6148\">US soccer\u2019s diverse fan base finds its perfect stage in the Bay Area<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Officials are actively enforcing that rule change.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More: 2026 men\u2019s World Cup brackets, scores, standings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The latest incident came on Tuesday night when Ecuador defender Piero Hincapi\u00e9 was sent off in second-half stoppage time of his team\u2019s 2-0 loss to Mexico in the round of 32. The red card didn\u2019t impact the outcome of the match, which ended moments later.<\/p>\n<p>Hincapi\u00e9\u2019s red card came after an exchange with Mexico forward Santi Gim\u00e9nez.<\/p>\n<h4>Why did FIFA establish the new rule?<\/h4>\n<p>FIFA established the new rule to prevent players from hiding abusive, discriminatory or offensive language while on the field.<\/p>\n<p>Nicknamed the \u201cPrestianni Law,\u201d rules for red cards to players at the World Cup were added because of a controversy in international soccer this year.<\/p>\n<p> <!--Ad-Slot: outstream_video--><\/p>\n<p>FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushed for changes after Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni tried to hide verbal insults toward Real Madrid forward Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior in a Champions League match. Soccer\u2019s rule-making panel, the International Football Association Board, agreed that players can be penalized with a red card if they cover their mouths when verbally confronting another player.<\/p>\n<p>The rule is not mandatory within the Laws of the Game but gives tournament organizers like FIFA the option to use it at their discretion.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6146\">UF position preview: Gators look for more impact at tight end<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The rule change was unanimously approved by IFAB, which includes officials from FIFA and the four British soccer federations, at a special meeting ahead of the FIFA Congress. FIFA\u2019s proposal followed Vin\u00edcius, backed by Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, accusing Prestianni of making a racially charged insult while raising his jersey to cover his mouth during the game in February.<\/p>\n<h4>Is Piero Hincapi\u00e9 the only player who has received a red card at the World Cup?<\/h4>\n<p>No. Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almir\u00f3n was the first player to be punished under the new rule when he was sent off in a group match against Turkey for covering his mouth during a confrontation with defender Mert Mulder.<\/p>\n<p> <!--Ad-Slot: cube_article--><\/p>\n<p>Paraguay won 1-0, but Almiron missed Paraguay\u2019s final group game against Australia. FIFA said that decision was not subject to appeal.<\/p>\n<h4>What does it mean when a player receives a red card at the World Cup?<\/h4>\n<p>If a player is shown a red card by an official, he is ejected from the match and must serve a one-game suspension in the following match.<\/p>\n<p>The team is forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 players \u2014 putting them at a huge disadvantage \u2014 but is allowed to start the following match at full strength with 11 players, just not the suspended player.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6144\">Singh sues to get Cordero removed from Orange Clerk of Courts ballot<\/a><\/p>\n<p>See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World Cup players have been warned about a new rule that results in a red card for anyone covering their mouth when verbally confronting another player. Officials are actively enforcing the rule change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why are World Cup refs giving red cards to players covering their mouths when confronting opponents? - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6150\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why are World Cup refs giving red cards to players covering their mouths when confronting opponents? - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"World Cup players have been warned about a new rule that results in a red card for anyone covering their mouth when verbally confronting another player. 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