Paraguay’s match against Turkey on Saturday morning began with an early goal after 65 seconds, but the first half ended with a historic disciplinary incident. In the 45+3 minute of stoppage time, Paraguay star Miguel Almiron was shown a straight red card, leaving his team with 10 men for an unusual reason, he covered his mouth while speaking to a Turkish player.
During a verbal confrontation on the pitch, Almiron put his hand over his mouth to hide what he was saying, a common move in modern football meant to prevent lip-readers and cameras from capturing the exchange. Turkey immediately alerted the referee, and the VAR team intervened, flagging what it deemed a critical violation by Paraguay’s number 10. The referee then sent Almiron off in dramatic fashion.
The article says the 2026 World Cup has introduced a strict new rule banning players from covering their mouths during confrontations or fights on the field. If referees and VAR believe the gesture is used to conceal insults or especially harsh comments, the punishment is a straight red card. Some have dubbed it the “Pristiani rule,” after a past incident involving a Benfica midfielder and Vinicius Junior.
Almiron’s dismissal is part of what the report describes as a tougher officiating trend in the tournament under FIFA’s guidance. It was the seventh red card shown at the 2026 World Cup, already the highest total for any single World Cup since Brazil 2014, when 10 red cards were issued across the whole tournament. The competition is still only in the second round of the group stage.
