Almiron gets one-match ban under World Cup mouth-covering rule
FIFA said Miguel Almiron will miss Paraguay’s match against Australia after his red card in a confrontation with Turkiye’s Mert Muldur.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron has been suspended for one match after receiving a red card for covering his mouth during a World Cup confrontation. FIFA said Tuesday that Almiron will miss Paraguay’s final group-stage match against Australia on Thursday, and that the sanction cannot be appealed.
The Associated Press reported that Almiron became the first player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be dismissed for covering his mouth. The incident came late in the first half of Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkiye last Friday, when Almiron confronted Turkiye’s Mert Muldur.
FIFA is using a new rule that allows referees to send off players who cover their mouths while verbally confronting opponents. The International Football Association Board, football’s rule-making panel, approved the measure in April, according to the AP.
The rule does not automatically apply across all football competitions under the Laws of the Game. IFAB’s decision gives competition organisers, including FIFA, the option to adopt it.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino backed the policy on Tuesday in comments to SNTV. He said the rule was tied to respect and the example players set, adding: “If you have nothing to hide, you don’t cover your mouth when you speak to somebody.”
According to the AP, Infantino had pushed for the change after a Champions League incident last season involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior. UEFA later banned Prestianni for six games, with three deferred, after describing his conduct as discriminatory and homophobic.
The fallout from Almiron’s red card also reached the broadcast booth. Commentator Jorge Chipi Vera said on X late Monday that FIFA had cancelled his World Cup accreditation after he made an expletive-laden on-air attack on FIFA and match officials during the Paraguay-Turkiye match.
Vera, who works for ABC Cardinal and ABC TV, said he called Infantino and the referee “thieves” and accused them of “killing football” after Paraguay were reduced to 10 men. He later issued a lengthy apology, saying he had used “offensive and unacceptable expressions” against the referee, FIFA and its authorities.
Vera said the sanction prevents him from taking part in his outlet’s World Cup coverage inside or outside stadiums and covers any participation related to the tournament. FIFA has not issued a public statement on Vera’s case, according to the AP.
The AP described FIFA bans on journalists as very rare. It noted that under former president Sepp Blatter, investigative reporter Andrew Jennings was barred from FIFA events after alleging corruption inside the organisation, with many of those allegations later vindicated in U.S. courts.
Vera said he had sent FIFA a letter of apology and accepted responsibility for the broadcast. “Questioning a rule or disagreeing with a refereeing decision never justifies losing control the way I did,” he said.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.