UEFA boss Gianni Infantino calls for red cards for players covering mouths

"If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously. There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth."

"You can see when a player is talking to an opponent, there are very few circumstances where they should need when they're confronting them to cover their mouth."

"Of course, when you deal with a disciplinary case, you have to analyse the situation, you have to have evidence, but we cannot just be satisfied with that going forward."

UEFA president Gianni Infantino has proposed that players covering their mouths during on-pitch confrontations should be sent off, based on the presumption they have said something inappropriate. This proposal follows an incident where Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior alleged racial abuse by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth during the alleged incident. UEFA has suspended Prestianni pending investigation with potential for a 10-match ban if found guilty. FIFA plans to introduce preventive measures ahead of the 2026 World Cup to stop players from covering their mouths during confrontations. English FA CEO Mark Bullingham noted there are few legitimate reasons for players to cover their mouths when confronting opponents.

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