Paraguay file official FIFA protest after Bellingham escapes red card for covering mouth

Paraguay have filed an official protest with FIFA after Jude Bellingham was not sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to Ghana forward Jordan Ayew during England’s draw at the 2026 World Cup — the same offence that earned Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron a straight red card in their match against Turkey.

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reports that the Paraguayan Football Association submitted the complaint on the grounds that the regulation was not applied consistently and equally across all teams. The rule, introduced by IFAB ahead of the tournament, states that any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent is to be dismissed immediately.

Bellingham was understood to have been spared because match officials judged his gesture not to be confrontational in nature. That distinction has done little to satisfy Paraguay, whose narrow victory over Turkey was shaped in part by Almiron’s dismissal for the same act.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had already spoken publicly in support of the rule following the Almiron incident. “This thing about covering the mouth is for us a very, very important rule,” Infantino said. “It’s about respect. It’s about the example that we should give. If you have nothing to hide, you don’t cover your mouth when you speak to somebody. The rules have been made very clear to everyone.”

FIFA also issued a statement clarifying the Almiron decision: “Following a VAR review in the FIFA World Cup match between Türkiye and Paraguay, Miguel Almiron was shown a red card for covering his mouth. Following a special meeting of The IFAB held in April, a number of amendments were introduced to be implemented at the FIFA World Cup 2026. This included a red card for any player in the tournament seen covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent.”

The rule itself was introduced in the wake of a six-match ban handed to Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni for homophobic conduct directed at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, with FIFA moving to close the loophole that allowed players to exchange abuse undetected by officials.

England manager Thomas Tuchel’s side were already under pressure after a frustrating draw with Ghana. The prospect of a formal FIFA ruling on the Bellingham incident adds a significant off-field complication to their World Cup campaign.