Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón has earned the dubious distinction of being the first player sanctioned under FIFA’s newly implemented mouth-covering rule, receiving a straight red card during his team’s Group D match against Turkey on June 20, 2026.
The incident occurred in stoppage time of the first half. Almirón covered his mouth while engaged in a confrontation with an opponent, triggering a VAR review that ultimately led referee Danny Makkelie to show the red card.
A rule designed to catch what microphones can’t
The mouth-covering ban was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in April 2026 during a meeting in Vancouver. The rule specifically targets discriminatory or inappropriate behavior that cameras and lip-readers would otherwise catch.
The enforcement mechanism relies heavily on VAR officials, who can flag the gesture in real time and prompt the on-field referee to act. In Almirón’s case, the system worked exactly as designed. The Paraguayan covered his mouth, VAR caught it, Makkelie pulled the red, and history was made in the least flattering way possible.
