The controversy surrounding FIFA's new rule punishing the gesture of covering the mouth during on-field confrontations has returned to the center of debate at the 2026 World Cup, following two similar cases with opposite outcomes: the expulsion of Paraguayan Miguel Almirón and the lack of punishment for England's Jude Bellingham.
Almirón became the first player to be sent off under this regulation, in Paraguay's match against Turkey. Salvadoran referee Iván Barton showed the straight red card to the midfielder after reviewing the incident upon intervention by the video assistant referee. "After the review. Number 10. Paraguay. He covered his mouth. The decision is: straight red!" Barton announced. At that moment, the match was fraught with maximum tension, with widespread confusion between the two teams following a challenge considered dangerous on Isidro Pitta.
Days later, in Boston, Bellingham repeated the same gesture while speaking with Ghana's Jordan Ayew, during the goalless draw between England and Ghana. Cameras caught the Englishman covering his mouth while talking to his opponent, but referee Said Martínez and the VAR chose not to intervene. Bellingham received zero cards and stayed on the pitch, even being named man of the match.
The difference in criteria reopened the debate over the so-called "Vinícius Law," implemented by FIFA to prevent potential insults or discriminatory expressions from becoming impossible to verify when players cover their mouths. The rule was driven by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, following the case of Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni, who was suspended for six matches for homophobic conduct directed at Real Madrid's Vinícius Jr. in February. The measure was approved on April 28, 2026, by FIFA and IFAB.
FIFA's chief of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, explained before the tournament that players may continue covering their mouths when speaking with teammates or in friendly exchanges, as this is completely normal before, during, and after matches. The problem, according to Collina, is when the context involves aggression. "When the conversation is aggressive, covering the mouth means a serious offense is potentially being committed, and the sanction is a red card," he stated.
According to a BBC analysis, the context was decisive for the opposing decisions. In Almirón's case, the gesture occurred at a moment of clear confrontation with the Turkish player Mert Muldur, and the opponent himself immediately turned to flag the incident to the assistant referee. In the episode involving Bellingham, there was no visible animosity between the two players, who were simply talking.
Infantino backed Almirón's expulsion. "This business of covering the mouth is a very, very important rule for us. It's about respect. It's about the example we must set. If you have nothing to hide, you don't cover your mouth when speaking to someone. The rules were explained very clearly to everyone," the official declared.
As a result of the suspension, Almirón will miss Paraguay's decisive group-stage match against Australia, in which both teams will likely need at least one point to advance to the round of 16. The punishment could have been more severe had evidence of offensive language been found.
The rule, however, is optional in its adoption, and each competition may decide whether or not to implement it. For now, it is in effect only at this World Cup. The difficulty of applying it with uniform criteria and the risk of it being used strategically to provoke a rival's expulsion make it unlikely that national leagues will adopt it in the short term.
In the end, everything comes down to the referees' interpretation, who decide whether the gesture was made in good or bad faith without any concrete evidence. From Paraguay, the question remains: if the gesture was the same, why was the punishment different?