Paraguay Midfielder Miguel Almiron Receives First Red Card for Mouth-Covering at World Cup

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Miguel Almiron, a midfielder for Paraguay, was the first player to receive a red card at the World Cup for covering his mouth. This incident occurred during a confrontation in the first half against Turkey on Friday night.

The red card was issued during stoppage time in the Group D match. Almiron and Mert Mulder had an exchange near midfield, during which Almiron covered his mouth while speaking to Mulder. This led Mulder to signal to referee Ivan Barton for action. Barton reviewed the video and promptly gave Almiron a red card, ejecting him under a newly implemented rule for this World Cup.

According to the law, if you cover your mouth you’re sent off. Red card, said Paraguay’s coach, Gustavo Alfaro. There’s nothing I can do about that. Unfortunately, we can’t issue a new opinion on this.

Despite playing a man down, Paraguay managed to maintain their 1-0 lead throughout the second half to secure the win. Alfaro expressed support for Almiron after the game, reminding him that his absence had sparked the team’s fighting spirit.

He apologized to the players for his mistake, Alfaro stated. He knew about the situation he had left his teammates in with his actions. … It happened and it happened.

The rule in question was pushed forward by FIFA president Gianni Infantino after a prior incident involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who attempted to hide verbal insults toward Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior during a Champions League match. Alfaro acknowledged awareness of the rule but hinted at the potential downfalls of such strictness in football.

I fear we are too strict and football loses its essence, Alfaro commented. In football, there are frictions, fights, clashes.

As a consequence of the red card, Almiron will be absent from the final group stage match against Australia, which is crucial for securing second place in Group D. FIFA might extend his suspension, affecting his participation in a knockout round match as well. Alfaro expressed his hopes for a minimal penalty.

I hope the penalty is he misses as few matches as possible, Alfaro noted. He was very sorry and he was heavily affected.

This is the second time that Almiron was carded under the new rule at this year’s World Cup. In the first match against the United States, a yellow card was reassigned to Almiron after video review overturned the one initially given to Tim Ream for diving.