Miguel Almiron became the first player in World Cup history to be shown a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, an incident that unfolded just before half-time in Paraguay’s crucial 1-0 victory over Turkey in San Francisco.
The former Newcastle United winger, 32, obscured his mouth with his hand as he walked past Turkey’s Mert Muldur during a heated melee. Muldur immediately alerted the assistant referee on the near side, and after a check by the video assistant referee, referee Ivan Barton from El Salvador announced the dismissal. The red card came under a new rule implemented for the first time at the World Cup, following a decision by the International Football Association Board in Vancouver in April. Fifa president Gianni Infantino had previously welcomed such a punishment, saying referees should work from a “presumption” that players have said “something they shouldn’t have”.
“Miguel Almiron becomes first player sent off for covering mouth at World Cup during Paraguay's 1-0 win over Turkey.”
Paraguay had taken the lead after just two minutes through Matias Galarza’s effort, but the task of holding on grew significantly harder when Almiron was given his marching orders on the stroke of half-time. Despite being a man down for more than half the match, Paraguay held on to beat Turkey 1-0. The win was vital after a 4-0 drubbing by co-hosts USA in the group opener, and it knocked Turkey, ranked 22nd in the world, out of the competition.
Commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison said: “If you know the rules, you shouldn’t do it. You’ve got to credit the referee and the VAR for making that decision. Not everyone would agree with it, but if those are the rules, you’ve got to stick by the rules.”
Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro did not argue with the dismissal. “According to the law, if you cover your mouth you’re sent off. Red card,” said the 63-year-old Argentine. “There’s nothing I can do about that. Unfortunately, we can’t issue a new opinion on this. He [Almiron] apologised to the players for his mistake. He knew about the situation he had left his team-mates in with his actions.”
Alfaro said Almiron’s absence brought out the fighting spirit of his team, who are at their first World Cup finals since 2010. In a post on his Instagram story, Almiron shared an image of his team-mates celebrating along with a message that roughly translates to: “I want to thank the effort of my teammates today, leaving everything in each ball, thank you, thank you, thank you, a pride to be part of this selection.”
Paraguay will qualify for the last 32 if they beat Australia in their final group game on Friday. The new rule, which remains at the absolute discretion of the referee, was introduced in light of controversy in February when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in a Champions League game, leading to accusations of racist abuse and a provisional one-match ban.