Jude Bellingham’s treatment in England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana on Monday became the latest flashpoint in the controversy over FIFA’s new mouth-covering rule at the 2026 World Cup. Bellingham covered his mouth while speaking to Jordan Ayew, but unlike a Paraguay player in an earlier match, he was not punished. The Paraguay player had been sent off during a 1-0 win over Turkey after doing something similar while talking to an opponent.
The differing outcomes prompted criticism online and in the media, with many questioning whether the rule is being enforced consistently. Spanish commentator Ivan Blanco argued that the problem is less the rule itself than its application. He wrote that the rule was always going to create confusion, and said it was absurd that Paraguay were reduced to 10 men while Bellingham escaped sanction, even if he did not believe the conduct should be a red card in either case.
Social media reactions were similarly harsh, with posts calling the situation a joke and accusing FIFA of applying one standard to England and another to everyone else. But according to IFAB’s wording, covering the mouth is not automatically a sending-off offense.
The law says a player can be dismissed only if the gesture is used in a taunting, mocking, or offensive way, or in a similarly provocative context. FIFA has also said that ordinary or friendly conversation between players is not an offense, and that context matters as much as the act itself.
FIFA therefore sees no contradiction between the two decisions. In the Paraguay case, officials judged the action to be worthy of a red card, while in Bellingham’s case the referees and VAR did not identify mocking, insulting, or provocative behavior toward Ayew. Even so, the two apparently similar incidents continue to fuel debate over the boundaries of the new rule and how it is being applied at the tournament.
