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FIFA Push for New Red-Card Rules at World Cup Approved After Champions League and AFCON Incidents
The new laws target confrontation delays and protest walkouts after incidents involving Benfica, Real Madrid and Senegal prompted review.
- On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, The International Football Association Board approved new red card sanctions for players covering their mouths during confrontations or leaving the field in protest at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- High-Profile incidents involving Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni and Senegal prompted the rule updates. Prestianni covered his mouth during a February Champions League confrontation with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior; Senegal players walked off during the African Cup final in January.
- Referees may now issue red cards to players leaving the field in protest; team officials inciting departures also face expulsion, and teams causing match abandonment will forfeit the game per IFAB regulations.
- Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said the changes aim to "protect the image of the game," particularly for the World Cup, the most-viewed competition in sport globally.
- FIFA will communicate the amendments to all 48 teams in the coming weeks, with mandatory implementation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and optional adoption by other organizers starting July 1, 2026.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Africa: World Cup 2026 - Red Cards for Players Who Cover Mouths and Walk Off in Protest
Players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents and teams who leave the pitch without the referee's permission can be given red cards under new rules announced on Wednesday by football's lawmakers.
By Edgar Aviles, CNN en Español. During its most recent congress held in Canada, FIFA approved a new rule: players who cover their mouths during a confrontation can be sanctioned with a red card. The regulation was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). It's not a rule pulled out of thin air. It originated from an incident that made headlines worldwide this season: the one involving Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni d…
Expect unusual red cards at FIFA World Cup 2026 due to a problematic rule change
The IFAB has approved red card for players who cover their mouths to conceal discriminatory behaviour..IFAB, FIFA World Cup 2026, Red Card, Discriminatory Behaviour, Mouth Covering, Concealed Communication, Law Amendments, Vancouver Meeting, Gianni Infantino, Vinícius Júnior, Gianluca Prestianni, Racism in Football, UEFA Sanctions, On-field Confrontation, Referee Discretion, Lip-reading, Stadium Acoustics, Tactical Secrecy, Player Protests, Matc…
Fifa to introduce major new rule just weeks before World Cup as players threatened with red cards
Fifa is set to introduce a major new rule just weeks before the World Cup gets underway.Football's governing body will give the green light to new regulations, which will see players at risk of being sent off if they cover their mouths while speaking to opponents during confrontations on the pitch.The International Football Association Board (Ifab) convened for a special session in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday, where members approved the amendm…
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