Miguel Almiron sent off for covering mouth in Türkiye v Paraguay at 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Paraguayan Miguel Almiron became the first player dismissed at the 2026 World Cup for breaking the new ban on covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, leaving Paraguay a man down against Türkiye on Friday night into Saturday.

According to L'Équipe, the dismissal came just before the interval during Türkiye v Paraguay.

Paraguay had led since the second minute through Matías Galarza and were withstanding sustained territorial pressure from Türkiye. Referee Ivan Barton first gave a foul in Paraguay's favour, then was called to the VAR.

After a brief check, Barton produced a red card for the attacking midfielder at 45+3. Video confirmed an infringement during his exchange with Mert Müldür, which is now liable to dismissal under FIFA's directives for this tournament.

The guidelines were introduced following controversy in Benfica v Real Madrid involving Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius. Müldür immediately alerted the referee to Almiron's gesture.

Source: L'Équipe