AfriPulse
The International Football Association Board(IFAB) has unanimously approved two sweeping changes to existing laws governing incidents during football matches.
The two changes include red cards for players covering their mouth during on-field altercations, and also for players who leave the pitch in protest of the referee’s decisions.
These decisions were reached at the special meeting of the body in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday, in reaction to proposals submitted by world football governing body FIFA to address discriminatory and inappropriate behaviour.
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Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt while abusing Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. who alleged racist abuse, but the Argentine was eventually charged with using homophobic language and banned for six matches.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had proposed a straight dismissal for such incidents in February, and IFAB’s approval that was made following thorough FIFA-led consultations, grants him- and FIFA’s- wish.
According the IFAB’s statement, the decision for dismissal rests solely on the referee.
“At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card.”
Similarly, IFAB empowered the referee to decide on dismissal for players and officials that leave the pitch in protest of the umpire’s decision.
A similar scenario occurred in the AFCON 2025 final with Senegal leaving the pitch in protest before returning after 15 minutes. They won the AFCON title but have been stripped of the title, pending an appeal.
“At the discretion of the competition organiser, the referee may sanction with a red card any player who leaves the field of play in protest at a referee’s decision. This new rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play.
IFAB also added that teams that teams that cause matches to e abandoned will forfeit the match.
The new laws will take effect at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, and IFAB has assured that participating nations will be informed of the updated new laws “in the coming weeks.”
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Source: DailyTrust | Read the Full Story…
