The global football authority has also decided, on Tuesday, to sanction any player exiting the field to contest a decision made by the referee with a red card.
La Fifa a voulu tirer des leçons du passé. Deux nouvelles situations durant une rencontre donneront désormais lieu à un carton rouge dès la prochaine Coupe du monde (11 juin – 19 juillet). À l’issue d’une réunion à Vancouver (Canada) de l’International Football Association Board (IFAB), the guardian of football rules, FIFA decided on Tuesday, April 28, that any player covering their mouth during a verbal altercation with an opponent could receive a red card. The same penalty will be imposed on players leaving the field to protest against a referee’s decision.
These two rule changes will apply as of the next World Cup, FIFA decided in order to tackle racist abuse. The governing body is reacting particularly to the controversy stirred up in February, when Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making racist remarks while covering his mouth towards Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Jr during a Champions League match. The Argentine denied making racist comments but was handed a six-match ban, three of which were suspended.
The second modification comes after the uproar in the beginning of the year during the Africa Cup of Nations final, when Senegal players, coach Pape Thiaw, and his staff left the field in Rabat after Morocco was awarded a penalty in stoppage time. Senegal later won the final after extra time but was stripped of its title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), a controversial decision that was appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
