As Paraguay and Turkey met on the big stage in a bid to survive in a tough group, midfielder Matías Galarza’s early long-range strike was the only difference. Paraguay would hold on tight to their frail lead as Turkey mounted attack over attack in an attempt to secure the 3 points, but would eventually lose the match and, in all practicality, a spot in the knockouts. What perhaps took all the headlines was not Turkey’s elimination but the implementation of a brand-new FIFA rule.
In the 45th minute of the match, just before half-time, Miguel Almiron of Paraguay had an interaction with Turkish midfielder Mert Mulder following a foul. Mulder would call for a punishment as Almiron was seen covering his mouth while talking to him, which could result in a red card under the new rules. The referee was then called to the VAR where Almiron was clearly seen with his hand over his mouth as he exchanged some words with Mulder.
Under new rules of FIFA, any player caught talking with his hand over his mouth must be suspended with a red card, and that was the subsequent result as Almiron was sent off and stands suspended for Paraguay’s last group stage match.
As for why this rule was added, complaints from players all over the world of racism and insults based on skin colour pushed for a strict ruling and a strong step from FIFA on the eve of the marquee global tournament. After repeated complaints from specifically Vinícius Jr. in La Liga, the final nail in the coffin was an interaction between Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni, who tried to hide verbal insults, and Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior in a Champions League game. Under suspicion of those verbal insults being racial slurs, it was considered an utmost offense that eventually resulted in FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s push for the new rule among a few others. With new rules dishing out bookings for time-wasting and its technicalities, this new rule seems perhaps the harshest.
With a red card dishing that relies solely on the player putting their hand on their mouth, it is a ruthless punishment in an attempt to prevent discourse of hate and insults on the field as fans around the world question where the game will go from here.
This article is written by Arnav Madhura, a student of Krea University, interning with Deccan Chronicle.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
