UEFA is planning to drop the most talked-about new World Cup rule next season.
UEFA has announced that it won’t be using a controversial World Cup rule in European competitions next season. The World Cup has seen a lot of drama, mostly because of poor discipline, with more red cards given out than in the last two tournaments combined.
The latest red card went to Florian Balogun after he scored in the USA’s 2-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina early Thursday. His sending off was a bit controversial since his tackle wasn’t malicious. Sadly for USA coach Mauricio Pochettino, they can’t appeal because of a little-known UEFA rule.
Because of this, the US will miss their star striker in their round of 16 game against Belgium on Monday. They’re not alone — Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron was the first player sent off for covering his mouth while talking to an opponent, and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie got sent off for the same during their loss to Mexico.
This mouth-covering issue became widely noticed back in February, when Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni lifted his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in a Champions League match. Prestianni was accused of racist abuse and banned for one match while UEFA investigated. In the end, he was found guilty of homophobic conduct and banned for six matches.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino used that incident to push for a new rule at the World Cup, hoping it would act as a strong warning.
Many people were unhappy with this rule, and now UEFA has decided not to use it in the Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League next season, according to BBC Sport. Instead, UEFA wants referees to look at each situation closely and decide if a yellow card is needed for trying to hide communication in an unsporting way.
They said: “This does not affect any investigations or actions that could happen later because of this behavior.”
Many think this rule could be misused to get players sent off even when nothing offensive was said. There’s also been confusion since some players who covered their mouths, like England’s Jude Bellingham in their match against Ghana, weren’t penalized.
A big argument is that if a rule is going to be enforced, it should be applied fairly and consistently, not just in some cases.
So, fans across Europe will be pleased to know that this rule won’t be used in UEFA games next season.