Gianni Infantino has a logic problem. “If you do not have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something,” the FIFA president told Sky News last month. “That’s it, as simple as that.”

It is not, in fact, as simple as that.

On Tuesday, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously approved two law amendments that will take effect at this summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. First: any player who covers their mouth during a confrontation with an opponent can receive a straight red card. Second: any player who leaves the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision — or any team official who incites them to do so — can also be sent off.

The catalyst was February’s Champions League incident, when Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of calling Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr a “monkey” while covering his mouth with his shirt. Prestianni denied racial abuse but admitted to homophobic conduct and received a six-match ban from UEFA, three of them suspended.

So the intent is genuine. The specifics are where it gets awkward.

Players cover their mouths constantly — to avoid lip-reading cameras, to whisper tactical instructions, out of simple habit during heated moments. The new rule gives referees discretion to decide, in real time, whether a hand over a mouth is concealment of abuse or something innocuous. At a World Cup, under maximum scrutiny, that is a remarkable amount of judgment to hand to officials who already struggle with subjective calls.

The walk-off rule carries its own complications. It was prompted by January’s Africa Cup of Nations final, when Senegal’s players and staff left the pitch after Morocco were awarded a late penalty. Senegal won in extra time but were later stripped of the title by the Confederation of African Football. But as European leagues have reportedly pointed out, a player walking off might be responding to racist abuse — and under the new protocol, they could be punished for it.

The 48 World Cup teams will be briefed in the coming weeks. The tournament starts in June. The rules will be tested almost immediately, on the biggest stage in sport, with no rehearsal.

Sources