Why Jude Bellingham didn’t get a red card for covering his mouth, but Miguel Almiron did
Jude Bellingham avoided the same punishment as Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron when he covered his mouth while talking during England’s 0-0 World Cup match against Ghana. Bellingham, who was named FIFA’s ‘Superior Player of the Match’ for his great play in Boston, was on the field for 73 minutes before being swapped out for Morgan Rogers.
At halftime, Bellingham had a heated exchange with Ghana’s coach Carlos Queiroz, who was unhappy about a challenge Bellingham made on one of his players. Queiroz felt Bellingham was lucky to avoid a yellow or even a red card for the foul.
Later, Bellingham was seen talking with Ghana captain Jordan Ayew before they both came off in the second half. During their chat, Bellingham covered his mouth with his hand. This is important because FIFA has rules about covering your mouth while talking, which will be enforced more strictly starting from the 2026 World Cup.
Earlier in the tournament, Miguel Almiron was given a straight red card after covering his mouth during a verbal clash, and he’s now suspended for Paraguay’s last group game against Australia. So why didn’t Bellingham get a red card? The answer lies in how FIFA has framed the rule. Simply covering your mouth when talking isn’t banned—only if it’s part of a serious confrontation.
The rule was introduced after an incident involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who got banned for six matches for using a homophobic slur during a Champions League game. He had covered his mouth during that incident, which made it hard for UEFA to prove what he said.
FIFA’s head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, explained before the World Cup that players can cover their mouths during normal, friendly chats without any problem. But if the chat is aggressive or confrontational, covering the mouth can lead to a red card.
This rule also applied to Lionel Messi, who covered his mouth while talking to teammates during Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. Since Messi was just communicating with his team, no penalty was given.