Infantino floats sanctions over players who cover mouth to talk

Gianni Infantino has suggested players who cover their mouths while speaking on the pitch could face dismissal if their comments result in racist abuse allegations.

The proposal follows accusations against Gianluca Prestianni during a recent Champions League fixture between Benfica and Real Madrid.

Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior while appearing to cover his mouth with his shirt. He denies the allegation.

“He has to be sent off”

The matter was discussed at Saturday’s meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). Speaking to Sky News, Infantino outlined a firm stance.

“If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously,” he said.

“There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.

“I simply do not understand – if you don’t have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. That’s it, as simple as that.

“And these are actions that we can take and we have to take in order to be serious about our fight against racism.”

Possible rule changes ahead

The next FIFA Congress will take place in Vancouver next month, where football’s governing body could consider formal measures to address players covering their mouths at this year’s World Cup.

Infantino also raised the prospect of varying sanctions depending on whether an offender publicly apologises.

“Maybe we should also think about not just punishing, but also somehow allowing, changing our culture, allowing players or whoever does something to apologise,” he said.

Prestianni was provisionally suspended for the return leg of the tie pending a UEFA investigation and could face a 10-match ban if found guilty.