UEFA confirmed on Thursday that it will not implement the International Football Association Board (IFAB) regulation mandating red cards for players who cover their mouths during on-field confrontations. The decision, communicated to member associations, means referees in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League will retain the authority to evaluate each situation on its own merits. Where a player is deemed to have concealed communication as an act of unsporting behaviour, a yellow card may be shown, but automatic dismissals will not occur. The governing body stressed that this approach does not prejudice subsequent disciplinary investigations.

The rule’s genesis lies in a February Champions League fixture between Benfica and Real Madrid, when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt to cover his mouth while speaking to Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian forward alleged racist abuse, triggering a UEFA probe. Although no in-game sanction was applied, Prestianni was later found guilty of homophobic conduct and handed a six-match ban, three of which were suspended. The incident prompted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to champion a deterrent measure, and IFAB approved the optional law in April, permitting referees to issue straight red cards for the gesture during confrontations.

At the 2026 World Cup, the rule has been actively enforced. Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón became the first player sent off under the new provision in a group-stage match against Turkey, and Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié was dismissed after a VAR review in a last-16 defeat to co-hosts Mexico. Yet its application has not been uniform: England’s Jude Bellingham was not sanctioned when he covered his mouth while speaking to Ghana’s Jordan Ayew, with officials judging the exchange non-hostile. Viewed from South American football circles, the dismissals have sharpened debate over a law that critics argue inverts the presumption of innocence and could be exploited to provoke unjust expulsions.

While rejecting the mouth-covering red card, UEFA will adopt another IFAB option: VAR reviews of incorrectly awarded corners, a tool that has already reversed 22 decisions into goal-kicks at the World Cup. The confederation will not, however, enforce the rule allowing red cards for players who leave the field in protest at a referee’s decision. The selective adoption underscores a divergence in regulatory philosophy between Zurich and Nyon, with European competitions set to proceed under a framework that prioritises referee judgement over mandatory dismissals when the new season begins.