“Infantino is a thief and destroying football,” shouted commentator. FIFA's harsh response followed.

Renowned Paraguayan television and radio commentator Jorge “Chipi” Vera has lost his press accreditation and is out of the tournament. This follows his emotional, vulgar monologue broadcast live, reacting to the red card shown to home favorite Miguel Almirón in Friday's match against Turkey.

The seasoned journalist, who was covering the event for ABC Cardinal and ABC TV, completely lost his composure. The referee had sent Almirón off early for a bizarre offense – covering his mouth with his hand while debating with an opponent.

This sparked Vera's verbal tirade. He directly called the referees and even FIFA President Gianni Infantino “thieves” in front of viewers, accusing them of “destroying football” with their decisions.

The global federation acted decisively immediately after the weekend. Although the commentator later publicly apologized via social media, he confirmed on Monday that the tournament's governing body had revoked his press accreditation.

FIFA itself declined to officially comment on the situation to Reuters. However, according to a source close to the case, the federation deemed the commentator's language absolutely unacceptable and his behavior incompatible with the professional standards required of broadcast rights holders.

Paraguayan star Miguel Almirón became the first player in history to fall victim to the enforcement of a new, closely watched rule. This rule prohibits players from covering their mouths during on-field communication, under threat of a red card.

Despite being a man down, Paraguay managed to triumph over Turkey 1-0 in a dramatic encounter, sending their rivals home. However, their joy is tempered by the fact that the penalized Almirón received a one-match ban for his sending off. The South American national team will thus have to do without their key player this coming Friday when they face Australia in their final Group D match.