Almiron first red card for covering mouth at World Cup
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- Miguel Almiron became the first player shown a red card for covering his mouth during Paraguay's 1-0 World Cup group win over Turkey in San Francisco.
- Mert Muldur immediately flagged the incident to the official after Almiron covered his mouth mid-conversation; El Salvador referee Ivan Barton, after a VAR review, sent off the former Newcastle United winger just before half-time with Paraguay leading 1-0.
- Paraguay held on to win 1-0 with 10 men for more than half the match, and will qualify for the last 32 if they beat Australia in their final group game on Friday (03:00 BST).
- The new red-card rule was adopted at a special Ifab meeting in Vancouver in April, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino saying referees should work from a "presumption" players have said "something they shouldn't have," with the decision at the referee's absolute discretion.
- The rule gained prominence after Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth/shirt while speaking to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr in a February Champions League match; Prestianni was ultimately banned six matches (three suspended) for homophobic conduct after a Uefa investigation.
- Almiron had already fallen foul of another new law in Paraguay's opening World Cup match against the United States, receiving a yellow card for simulation after originally being awarded a foul by the referee.
Why it matters: The first-ever enforcement of Ifab's new mouth-covering red card rule at a World Cup means referees now have absolute discretion to dismiss players concealing their lips during on-pitch exchanges. Paraguay still won 1-0 despite the dismissal, but face Australia on Friday needing a result to reach the last 32.
