Uncertain World Cup for Paraguay’s Almiron, sent off for covering his mouth
Key takeaways
- Almiron received the first red card, under new FIFA rules, for covering his mouth in the World Cup Group D match against Turkiye.
- Prestianni, who denied the accusation, was given a six-match suspension by UEFA for discriminatory conduct that was deemed homophobic.
- The dismissal for the former Newcastle United player means he will miss Paraguay’s decisive final Group D match against Australia on June 22.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Almiron received the first red card, under new FIFA rules, for covering his mouth in the World Cup Group D match against Turkiye.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Paraguay's midfielder Miguel Almiron was sent off during the Group D match against against Turkiye at San Francisco Stadium [Darren Yamashita/Reuters]By Reuters Published On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026It was unclear what Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron said to Turkiye’s Mert Muldur under the cover of his hand, but it may have been his last gesture in this World Cup.
On Friday, Almiron became the first player to be sent off at the World Cup for violating a strict new rule that forbids the covering of mouths during on-field confrontations, leaving Paraguay with 10 men to fend off an entire half of unrelenting Turkish attacks.