Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón has become the first ever player to be sent off at the World Cup for covering his mouth in a confrontation.
Almirón got his marching orders from referee Iván Barton of El Salvador in first half stoppage time after a video review showed that he had violated new rules while exchanging words with Turkey player Mert Müldür following a foul.
Paraguay were leading 1-0 at the time from Matias Galarza’s second-minute goal, set up by Almirón.
Urged by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the rule was introduced recently to punish racist or other discriminatory incidents on the pitch.
The move came after Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt when he insulted Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior in a Champions League match in February. Vinícius Júnior said he was racially abused while Prestianni admitted to a homophobic slur and was banned by UEFA.
