Also conceivable in the Bundesliga
©IMAGO
According to a demand from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, players who put their hand over their mouth in a confrontation with an opponent can be punished with a red card at the World Cup. The international regulators of the International Football Association Board (Ifab) decided on this change at a special meeting in Vancouver. The Ifab further announced that this was intended to prevent discriminatory behavior.
Whether the rule also applies to other competitions such as the Bundesliga or the Champions League is initially up to the organizers. However, it is possible that this will become a mandatory part of the rules in the long term, the Ifab said in response to a dpa request. “If a player covers his mouth and says something and this has racist consequences, then of course he has to be sent off,” Infantino said on “Sky” almost two months ago. With their hand over their mouth, players often try to disguise what they are saying from the public on the pitch.
Infantino: “Why does a player have to cover his mouth?”
“That’s something I don’t understand anyway: Why does a player have to cover his mouth when he says something to another player?” said Infantino. In such a case you have to assume that the player said something on the football field that he shouldn’t have said. “If you have nothing to hide, you don’t cover your mouth when you speak. It’s that simple,” Infantino said.
The debate broke out after an incident in the Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica Lisbon. Lisbon professional Gianluca Prestianni pulled his jersey over his mouth in an argument with Real star Vinicius Junior. Prestianni was suspected of making racist comments. He denied this. The European Football Union UEFA banned the Argentine for six games, three of which were suspended, for a homophobic statement.
Before the World Cup: Further rules tightened
The rules for the World Cup have also been tightened in another respect. Players who leave the pitch in protest against a referee’s decision may be shown a red card. This also applies to officials asking players to do so. If a team causes the game to be abandoned in this way, the game is generally counted for the opponent. This rule also applies to the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, which begins on June 11th.
