Players who cover their mouths during disputes with opponents can be sent off starting at this year's FIFA World Cup in North and Central America. The measure is designed to prevent players from concealing their lip movements from broadcast cameras while making hateful remarks, including racist comments, during verbal exchanges. Players who leave the field to protest referee decisions will also receive a red card.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the Laws of the Game, unanimously approved the rule amendments at a special meeting held Saturday in Vancouver, Canada.
As both proposals were submitted by FIFA, they will take effect at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
The rule allowing players who cover their mouths during disputes to be sent off has been dubbed the "Vinicius Rule," as part of measures to eliminate racism. The push began with an incident in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout round playoff between Benfica (Portugal) and Real Madrid (Spain), held in Lisbon, Portugal, in February. After scoring the winning goal, Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior became embroiled in a confrontation with Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius alleged that Prestianni had committed a racist act by calling him a "monkey." UEFA, which launched an investigation, handed Prestianni a six-match suspension for the hateful remarks. During the process, UEFA struggled to prove the offense because Prestianni had covered his mouth with his jersey while making the comments. FIFA proposed the rule change to IFAB to prevent a recurrence of such situations.
The rule change allowing red cards for players who leave the field to protest referee decisions was prompted by an incident at the Africa Cup of Nations final in January. Senegalese players withdrew to the locker room in protest after a penalty kick was awarded to host Morocco, then returned to score in extra time and win 1-0. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Committee later accepted Morocco's protest, stripping Senegal of the title in March. IFAB explained that "a team that causes the interruption of a match shall in principle be deemed to have forfeited the match."
