World Cup: new FIFA rules explained, could players be sent off for covering mouths? | OneFootball

Two new laws will apply at the World Cup after IFAB approved FIFA proposals, including potential reds for covering mouths and for leaving the pitch in protest. Both changes start on 11 June.

A special IFAB meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday approved the measures for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States. According to The Athletic, a separate tweak to yellow card suspensions is also planned.

The first law allows referees to send off a player who hides their mouth while confronting an opponent. It follows February’s row between Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, after which UEFA banned Prestianni for homophobic abuse.

Gianni Infantino said that if concealed comments have a racist consequence the player has to be dismissed, adding there should be a presumption of wrongdoing when words are hidden.

The second law permits red cards for players who leave the field in protest, and for team officials who incite it. It is presumed to address January’s AFCON final, when Senegalese players left after a Morocco penalty before returning. Under the new rule, departures would bring dismissals and could force abandonment in favour of the side that stayed.

Yellow cards would be wiped twice, after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals. Players would still miss one game for two bookings within a three-match window. The move has not been announced and is expected to be ratified soon.

Source: Sunderland Echo