Australian player goes viral for opinion on controversial rule at World Cup

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup, FIFA proposed a law that stated any player covering his mouth “in a confrontational situation with an opponent” would be subject to a red card. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously approved it in late April.

Atlanta United star and Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron made the worst kind of history when he became the first player to be shown a red card for covering his mouth just before halftime of Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkiye on June 19.

The following day, Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine went viral for taking a stand against Almiron’s behavior when asked for his opinion on the newly implemented rule.

“The rule itself? Listen, I think it’s clear,” the Socceroos star said, per ESPN Australia & NZ. “We were all told before. It’s going to be controversial in some ways because we don’t know the nature of what it was, but when you look at what’s happened in the past, especially around the incident with Vinicius Junior, I think it takes everything out of the equation.

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“If you’re saying something to someone that you don’t want to be seen, then I think it’s safe to say that if you can’t be seen saying it, then it shouldn’t be said.”

The response was overwhelmingly positive to Irvine’s stance, and this reply from Tipping Pitches sums up the overarching sentiment: “Oh, so it IS possible for an athlete to give a simple, clear eyed answer about a sport making a good faith effort to create an inclusive and equitable environment.”

For reference, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his jersey when speaking to Real Madrid’s Vini Jr. during a UEFA Champions League match in February. Vini Jr., playing in this World Cup for Brazil, asserted that Prestianni verbally abused him with slurs, and UEFA later banned Prestianni for six matches.

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Shortly after that incident occurred, FIFA announced it would “introduce measures” against players covering their mouths at this World Cup.

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