IFAB, the body responsible for defining the rules of football, announced this Tuesday that it has unanimously accepted two new rules proposed by FIFA at its special session held in Vancouver (Canada). The first is that players who cover their mouths when confronting an opposing player will be sanctioned with a red card. The second is that players who leave the football field as a sign of protest against a referee’s decision will also be sent off. Both rules will be implemented in next summer’s World Cup, held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The incident involving Prestianni and Vinicius in the first leg of the Champions League playoff between Benfica and Real Madrid, when the Argentine covered his mouth to, according to the Brazilian, utter racist insults, has set a precedent for the approval of this new rule proposed by FIFA and adopted by IFAB. Prestianni received a six-match ban from FIFA less than a week ago, although UEFA demanded further punishment for the Argentine Benfica player.
The IFAB unanimously approves red card for players covering their mouths to conceal discriminatory behaviour ➡️https://t.co/EEQubmcCVA pic.twitter.com/2MJo2muTvr
— The IFAB (@TheIFAB) April 28, 2026
The second rule is preceded by what happened in the final of the last Africa Cup. In that match, the Senegalese players decided to leave the field of play in protest of a penalty awarded to the Moroccan national team. The Senegalese captain, Sadio Mané, managed to get his teammates to return to the pitch to, finally, lift the trophy. Morocco then lodged a complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which awarded the title to Morocco due to “non-appearance”. Now the decision is in the hands of the CAS, which accepted the appeal of the Senegalese team. This event led FIFA to propose that players or technical staff members who leave the field of play be sanctioned with a red card.
