Paraguay's Almiron Makes History: First Player Sent Off Under New FIFA Rule

Almiron received an early exit after a VAR review. During a verbal exchange with Turkish defender Mert Müldür, he covered his mouth with his hand, an action now automatically penalized with a red card under new regulations.

Paraguay was leading 1-0 at the time, thanks to Matias Galarza's lightning-fast goal just 64 seconds into the match, marking the quickest strike of the 2026 World Cup so far.

FIFA announced the introduction of the new rule in April. It's part of a broader initiative to combat racism and discrimination in football. The impetus also came from a February Champions League incident where Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica Lisbon was accused of racist insults against Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid. Prestianni denied the accusations but later received a six-match ban for homophobic behavior, with half of the penalty conditionally suspended.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is a key proponent of the new rule. "If you have nothing to hide, you don't cover your mouth when you speak. It's as simple as that," AFP quoted him saying earlier this year.