Miguel Almirón first player to receive a red card for talking with his hand in front of his mouth at the 2026 World Cup
The World Cup match between Turkey and Paraguay was heated on Saturday. Paraguay took the lead early, after which the game was characterized by delays and disturbances. In stoppage time of the first half, Miguel Almirón received a direct red card for talking with his hand over his mouth, according to the new FIFA guideline. VAR intervened, making the Paraguayan the first player to be penalized for this. Turkey, trained by Vincenzo Montella, lost 1-0 and is eliminated.
On Saturday, Turkey and Paraguay faced off in one of the most heated matches of this World Cup. After an early 1-0 lead for the South Americans, the match was mainly peppered with time wasting, fouls and fierce duels.
The biggest riot took place just before halftime. During a short break, Paraguay player Miguel Almirón became involved in an altercation with Turk Mert Müldür. Remarkably, Almirón held his hand over his mouth as he addressed his opponent - a gesture recently banned by FIFA.
This new rule has been introduced to make discriminatory and racist behavior - often hidden behind a covered mouth - easier to trace and to punish immediately. Previously, the reason was the incident between Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica) and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) during the Champions League, in which there was suspicion of racist abuse. At the time, referees were not yet authorized to punish based on this gesture.
Now the VAR intervened immediately. Referee sent Almirón off the field with a direct red card, making the Paraguayan international the first player to be punished according to this rule at a World Cup. Striking: Turkey, led by coach Vincenzo Montella, was unable to utilize its numerical superiority and was eliminated early after the 1-0 loss.
Related Articles
Related articles
Teams
Tuchel roept Alexander-Arnold en Palmer terug bij Engeland
Thomas Tuchel heeft Trent Alexander-Arnold en Cole Palmer opnieuw opgeroepen voor Engeland, met de duidelijke boodschap dat selectie geen garantie is voor speeltijd. De bondscoach legt de nadruk op prestaties, zeker na hun afwezigheid op het WK. Ook andere opvallende keuzes en afwezigen worden besproken in de aanloop naar de Nations League-wedstrijden.
Teams
Almere City FC wint feestelijk van Heracles in Yanmar
In een feestelijke ambiance heeft Almere City FC met 1-0 gewonnen van koploper Heracles Almelo. Dit markeerde niet alleen de opening van hun nieuwe stadion, maar ook een belangrijke overwinning in de competitie.
Teams
Montella prijst Mancini en blikt vooruit: Turkije wil zich
Vincenzo Montella, bondscoach van Turkije, spreekt zich uit over Italië, de Nations League en de rol van Roberto Mancini. Hij ziet veel vernieuwing bij de Azzurri, zet in op jeugd en wil met Turkije de strijd aangaan met de Europese top.
Teams
Zorgen om Cornelius: lange afwezigheid dreigt na
Derek Cornelius, de Canadese verdediger, liep een blessure aan zijn heup op tijdens een training met de nationale ploeg. Bondscoach Jesse Marsch geeft meer duidelijkheid over de situatie.