Is it the right decision of FIFA to give a straight red card for talking with the mouth covered or is the rule too strict? Will this new rule be able to stop abusive language and disputes between players? If you were the referee, would you give Almiron a red card or just let him off with a warning?
New York: Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron has made a record in the World Cup, which he will never want to remember. During the match against Turkey on Friday night, he was shown a red card and thrown out of the field for a strange reason. The reason was – keeping hand on mouth while talking. This is the first time in the history of the World Cup that a player has received a red card for this mistake. The incident occurred at the end of the first half of the match, when Paraguay was leading 1–0.
After Almiron was sent off, Paraguay had to play with 10 players for the entire second half. What happened was that Almiron was hiding his face with his hand while saying something to Turkish player Mert Mulder. Mulder immediately drew the referee’s attention to the fact that the Paraguayan player had broken the rules. After this, the referee watched the replay on the monitor installed on the ground and showed Almiron a straight red card.
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What is this new rule?
FIFA has implemented this new rule from this World Cup. Under this, red cards can be given to players who cover their mouths during arguments on the field. The reason behind this strict rule is a Champions League match that took place in February. In that match, Benfica player Gianluca Prestiani abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior by covering his face with his jersey. Because his mouth was covered, the officers could not find out what he had actually said.
To prevent such incidents, FIFA has given the right to the referee that if a player hides his face during an argument, he can be shown a red card.