England’s Jude Bellingham could be seen to cover his mouth with his hand while talking to Ghana’s Jordan Ayew during their goalless draw on Tuesday.
That left some fans wondering why Bellingham avoided a straight red card for covering his mouth, as had previously happened with Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron when he did the same while talking to Turkiye’s Mert Muldur.
Well, the truth is out there. The difference between the two all comes down to context, as the wording of the rule makes clear.
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An explainer from IFAB – who lay down the Laws of the Game – explained the rule before the Bellingham moment, saying: “At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth when communicating with an opponent in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory manner or situation may be shown a red card and sent off.
“This Law change, which is optional for competitions, reflects the football world’s intention to combat racism and discrimination by introducing meaningful action and a strong deterrent against players covering their mouth (including with their hand, arm or shirt) to prevent the detection of inappropriate comments, insults or other forms of abuse directed at an opponent.”
That ‘in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory manner or situation’ section is key: the rule is not simply a blanket ban on players covering their mouths while addressing opponents.
That is exactly what FIFA’s referee chief Pierluigi Collina had wanted the law to achieve.
The Italian said before the tournament: “Players can continue to cover their mouth with an arm and the shirt because they may chat with friends.
“It’s normal to a chat before, during or after the match – so if the conversation is a friendly conversation, they can continue to do it without any problem.
“When the conversation is confrontational, covering the mouth means that you are doing something very wrong, potentially, and the sanction is the red card.”
That was the difference between Almiron’s incident and Bellingham’s.
The Paraguayan did it while a fracas was unfolding around him following a foul. That is a clear-cut example of provocative or inflammatory situation, and meant a red card was the right call under the rules.
Bellingham’s little chat with Ayew was meanwhile clearly friendly in nature, with Ayew putting his arm around Bellingham during the exchange and the pair both sharing a small embrace.
