Almiron earns first World Cup red card for mouth-covering as Paraguay beats Turkey
Miguel Almiron made history as the first player ever red-carded at a World Cup for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey's Mert Mulder earlier today. This occurred under new FIFA regulations for the 2026 tournament in USA/Canada/Mexico that specifically penalize mouth-covering in opponent confrontations with immediate red cards, though the act remains permitted with teammates—for instance, during free kicks to conceal set-piece takers.
The incident happened just before halftime in Paraguay's 1-0 victory over Turkey, with Matias Galarza's second-minute goal proving sufficient despite Almiron's dismissal. Paraguay held firm to secure three points that boost their knockout stage hopes ahead of next Thursday's decisive group match against Australia, while Turkey's exit was confirmed after suffering defeats in both opening matches.
Given this strict enforcement of FIFA's new conduct rule at World Cup 2026, will you now pay closer attention to how Super Eagles players communicate during tense moments on the pitch knowing that even innocent mouth-covering with opponents could potentially cost their team a player?