UEFA Goes Against FIFA Rules: No Red-Card For Players Covering Their Mouth

Published 2 July 2026 · sports

UEFA Goes Against FIFA Rules: No Red-Card For Players Covering Their Mouth Published By, Last Updated: July 02, 2026, 23:43 IST UEFA will not issue

UEFA Goes Against FIFA Rules: No Red-Card For Players Covering Their Mouth Published By, Last Updated: July 02, 2026, 23:43 IST UEFA will not issue red cards for players covering mouths while speaking. FIFA's law, optional for leagues, was prompted by a Vinicius Junior incident. Referee Slavko Vincic of Slovenia speaks to Ecuador's Piero Hincapie (3) before sending him from the field during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has decided that referees in its competitions will not show red cards to players who cover their mouths while speaking to their opponents. The world governing body, FIFA, came up with the law after the incident between Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a UEFA Champions League match last year.

Vinicius had accused Prestianni of calling him a monkey after the Brazilian celebrated a goal. UEFA, after a long investigation process, found Prestianni guilty of using a homophobic slur and handed him a si match ban. FIFA kept this law, the brainchild of its controversial president, Gianni Infantino, optional for its member leagues across the world, and the European body, by far the richest and the most popular, has opted against it. UEFA said referees should judge each incident on a case-by-case basis and decide whether a player should be shown a yellow card if the act is deemed “an attempt to conceal communication as an act of unsporting behaviour." It added that this would be “without prejudice to any disciplinary investigation or proceedings that may follow as a consequence of, or in connection with, such behaviour." The law is already being applied at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón became the first player to be sent off under it in the tournament during his side’s World Cup group-stage match against Turkey. Later, Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié was also shown a red card in his team’s Round of 32 defeat to Mexico. Both dismissals came after the referee reviewed the incidents with the assistance of the video assistant referee (VAR). There have been concerns about the law because it assumes that the player covering their mouth ‘has something to hide’, and thus, guilt, with little chance for them to prove otherwise, leaving it open to misuse. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: July 02, 2026, 23:43 IST News sports football UEFA Goes Against FIFA Rules: No Red-Card For Players Covering Their Mouth Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.