Gianni Infantino says players who cover mouths 'should be sent off' | OneFootball

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said players who shield their mouths during on-field flashpoints should be sent off, speaking in the wake of the Prestianni-Vinicius affair.

"If a player covers his mouth and says something with racist consequences, then he must be sent off, obviously. We should presume he said something he should not have said, otherwise he would not have needed to cover his mouth." He told Sky Sports.

"These are actions we can and must take to take our fight against racism seriously."

UEFA has provisionally suspended Gianluca Prestianni pending its investigation after the Champions League last-16 first leg between Benfica and Real Madrid on 17 February. The match in Lisbon finished 1-0 to Madrid and was stopped for about 10 minutes after Vinicius complained he had been called a monkey by the Argentine.

Prestianni has denied the allegation, saying Vinicius had "unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he heard".

"Of course, within a disciplinary process, you have to analyse the situation and gather evidence, but we cannot be satisfied with that in future."

"We must act firmly and in a deterrent way. Maybe we should consider not only punishing, but also changing our culture and giving players or anyone the chance to apologise, and in that case the sanction should be different. We should perhaps consider this possibility."

Source: L'Équipe