Miguel Almirón became the first player sent off at a World Cup for covering his mouth during a confrontation, receiving a late first-half red card against Turkey after he briefly covered his mouth while responding to Mert Müldür. Paraguay, which led 1-0 at the
Miguel Almirón’s night changed on a single gesture.
Late in the first half against Turkey, the Paraguay midfielder briefly covered his mouth as he spoke during a confrontation with Mert Müldür. Müldür immediately pointed out the infraction, and the referee took the incident to the monitor. After a brief review, the red card was produced for Almirón.
At the moment of the ejection, Paraguay held a 1-0 lead. The timing was brutal: with Almirón sent off, Paraguay faced the rest of the match at a numerical disadvantage for the entire second half.
This World Cup is the first to include red cards for players who cover their mouths during confrontations. The trigger for the policy traces back to a February Champions League incident involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. He covered his mouth with his jersey while directing abuse at Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior. and officials said the approach made it impossible to verify what was being said.
FIFA then responded by giving referees authority to issue a red card to any player who covers his mouth during a confrontation—an enforcement change that arrived at the tournament with a new kind of consequence for players and captains alike.
The match itself now sits under a clear sequence of facts: Paraguay led 1-0 when Almirón was dismissed late in the first half, and that red card carried his side into the second half forced to defend their advantage with 10 men.
For U.S. viewers watching the World Cup unfold, the wider story is how quickly the rules have moved from discussion to enforcement. Almirón’s dismissal wasn’t just a moment of discipline; it was a first—World Cup history written in a red card, and a lead put under immediate strain.
Miguel Almirón World Cup Paraguay vs Turkey red card FIFA rules match update Mert Müldür 2026 World Cup
That’s wild… covering your mouth is a red now??
So he just touched his face and got sent off? Seems like refs are making up stuff on the fly. Paraguay was doing good too smh.
I heard he covered his mouth like to yell or whatever, but how do they even know what he said if he literally covered it lol. Also Turkey should’ve been more worried about actually playing instead of pointing at stuff.
World Cup rules are getting ridiculous. Next thing you know they’ll red card you for sneezing during an argument. And didn’t something like this happen in club soccer too? Guess FIFA wants control over everything, even gestures. Also Paraguay being up 1-0 makes it feel extra unfair.