FIFA announced in a statement on Tuesday two amendments to the laws of the game that will be implemented in the World Cup scheduled for June 2026, with the aim of combating racism on the one hand and avoiding what happened in the Cannes final between Senegal and Morocco on the other hand. According to FIFA, any player who covers his mouth in a confrontational position with his opponent or leaves the field in protest against a refereeing decision can be punished with a red card. Any team that causes a match to be canceled will also be considered a loser.

Published on: 04/29/2026 - 15:37

Two new amendments will be adopted by FIFA during the 2026 World Cup, aiming to combat racism in stadiums and avoid incidents similar to those that occurred in the African Cup final between the Moroccan and Senegal national teams.

In a statement issued after a meeting of the FIFA Council (IFAB) in Vancouver published on Tuesday, players who cover their mouths during altercations with competitors will face the risk of receiving a red card.

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FIFA said in its statement: “At the discretion of the competition organizing body, any player who covers his mouth in a confrontational position with an opponent may be punished with a red card.”

This amendment comes in the wake of a controversy sparked by an incident that occurred earlier this year, when Benfica's Argentine winger, Portuguese Gianluca Pristiani, was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid's Brazilian star, Vinicius Junior, during a Champions League match in February.

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Priestiani was accused of repeatedly calling Vinicius a "monkey" while covering his mouth. The Argentine denied committing any racist abuse against the Brazilian, but he was later punished with a six-match ban, three of which were suspended, for “homophobic behavior.”

A second amendment to avoid a repeat of the events of the Morocco-Senegal final

In a separate legal amendment that will also be applied during the World Cup, FIFA said that the red card will also be displayed in the face of players who leave the field in protest against an arbitration decision.

The statement added, "According to the discretion of the competition organiser, the referee may punish any player who leaves the field in protest against an arbitration decision with a red card."

The statement continued, "This new amendment will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field."

FIFA explained that any team that causes a match to be canceled will be considered a loser.

This decision comes in the wake of the controversy that accompanied the final of the African Cup of Nations this year, when the Senegal players, their coach, Pape Thiaw, and his technical staff left the field in Rabat, after the Moroccan national team was awarded a penalty kick in stoppage time, which was later missed by Real Madrid striker Ibrahim Dias.

Although Senegal won the final 1-0 after extra time, they were surprisingly stripped of the title by a shock decision issued by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) last month.

These amendments to the laws came at a time when FIFA delegates were meeting in Vancouver ahead of the FIFA Congress on Thursday, which is the last meeting of the world football body before the start of the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States in June.

France 24/AFP

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