Was Harry Kane lucky to avoid a red card in World Cup semi-final? England vs Argentina controversy | OneFootball

Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes attempted to get the England defender sent-off

Harry Kane avoided a red card during the first half of England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

In the 37th minute at the Atlanta Stadium, referee Ismail Elfath had his yellow card out ready to book England midfielder Elliot Anderson for a foul on Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

As the official tried to bring matters under control with both sets of players coming together, he was approached by Kane who covered his mouth when attempting to speak, offering a defence of his Three Lions team-mate.

That was immediately picked up by Argentina’s Leandro Paredes, who suggested the England captain should have been punished as part of a new rule introduced by the IFAB (the International Football Association Board) before the World Cup.

FIFA said in a statement: "At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card."

The first player to fall foul of the new law as Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron during the group stage win over Turkey.

Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie then suffered the same fate as Ecuador crashed out of the tournament in the round of 32 at the expense of co-hosts Mexico.

However, the key difference in all three scenarios is that while Kane did cover his mouth, he did so when speaking to the official, not an Argentina player and, crucially, it was not a confrontational situation.

Speaking ahead of the semi-final, Kane said he and his England team-mates should not be drawn into the historic rivalry with Argentina.

"Yeah and no. I think it's not something you want to focus too much on, surrounding the history,” he told reporters.

"Yeah, that's all part of it and that's what you guys [in the media] will talk about, the fans will be involved in.

"But from a player's point of view it's us against a great team, who are smart, who are tactical, who know how to buy fouls, know how to slow the game down.