Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón Gets One-Game Suspension For Covering His Mouth

Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almirón has been given a one-match suspension after he was the first player to be sent off at the World Cup for covering his mouth.

FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that Almirón will miss Paraguay's final group game against Australia on Thursday. World soccer's governing body said the decision was not subject to appeal.

Almirón made history when he was issued a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Türkiye's Mert Mulder late in the first half of Paraguay's 1-0 win last Friday.

Under new rules, players are not allowed to cover their mouths to disguise what they are saying during confrontations, with infringements leading to an instant dismissal.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushed for the legislation after a high-profile incident in a Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica last season.

Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni tried to hide verbal insults toward Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.

UEFA later issued Prestianni a six-game ban — three of which were deferred — for what it described as "discriminatory (i.e. homophobic) conduct."

Soccer’s rulemaking panel, the International Football Association Board, agreed in April that players can be penalized with a red card if they cover their mouths when verbally confronting another player.

The rule is not mandatory within The Laws of the Game but gives competition organizers like FIFA the option to use it.

On Tuesday, Infantino said he supported the new rule.

"This thing about covering the mouth is for us a very, very important rule," he told SNTV. "It’s about respect, it’s about the example that we should give.

"If you have nothing to hide, you don’t cover your mouth when you speak to somebody. The rules have been made very clear to everyone, everyone knows them, so this is an important element."

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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