Paraguay's Miguel Almiron became the first player to fall foul of a new rule and be sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent during his side's 1-0 Group D win against Turkey at the 2026 World Cup.
Issued on: 20/06/2026 - 16:07Modified: 20/06/2026 - 16:08
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Referee Ivan Barton dismissed the 32-year-old in first-half stoppage time after the midfielder appeared to direct a comment at Turkey's Mert Muldur. In April, world football's governing body Fifa, which organises the World Cup, introduced a rule allowing match officials to eject players who hide their mouth when confronting players from other teams. The sanction came following an incident in which Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a Champions League game in February. Prestianni denied racial abuse but was later banned for six matches – with three of those suspended – for homophobic conduct. Fifa chief Gianni Infantino has been a prominent supporter of the new law. "If you do not have something to hide, you don't hide your mouth when you say something. That's it, as simple as that," he said. World Cup 2026: Players who leave pitch or cover mouths to be given red cards Fastest goal at 2026 World Cup At the game in Santa Clara on Friday, Paraguay's Matias Galarza scored after 64 seconds to register the earliest goal at the 2026 tournament. Paraguay, who played for the entire second half with 10 men, held on to secure the victory, which eliminated Turkey from the competition after their second defeat. It also confirmed co-hosts United States as winners of the pool. The US will play their last-32 knockout game in Santa Clara against one of the third-placed teams from either Group B, E, F, I or J. "We're going to focus on us and see the best way to try and get three wins and go into the knockout rounds with even more confidence," defender Antonee Robinson told the US football federation's website. United States beat Australia to advance to World Cup knockout stages Paraguay's win moved them into third place behind the US and Australia, who they face in the final game of the pool on 25 June in Santa Clara. The US take on Turkey in Seattle the same day. "We can face better teams and more important or prestigious opponents," said Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro. "But we are never going to feel underdogs or inferior to any other opponents. We will always give our best and represent our jersey in the best possible way." (with newswires)
