The 2026 World Cup is taking centre stage right now while domestic football hibernates.
It has been a mixed time for many Celtic players performing on the world stage, but perhaps one of the biggest talking points came during Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey in San Francisco on Saturday.
Former Newcastle United winger Miguel Almiron became the first player in history to get sent off for ‘covering his mouth’ while confronting an opponent.
The incident happened just before the end of the first half, when Almiron was talking to Turkey’s Mert Muldur, who immediately informed the officials, before they showed him a straight red after consulting with VAR.
Although the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has introduced this controversial and rather interesting new rule to the game, Celtic fans shouldn’t expect to see it implemented in the SPFL anytime soon.
Should the SPFL send off players for covering their mouths while talking to an opponent?
It's not a law in Scotland, but it is at the World Cup, as Miguel Almiron found out! 😬
Why has FIFA introduced this rule?
In the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, football’s lawmakers, IFAB, introduced the rule with FIFA’s official approval.
This became a high-profile topic in February when Benfica winger, Gianluca Prestianni, covered his mouth while talking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr during their Champions League clash.
Pretty much instantly, Vinicius protested to the referee and the game was stopped because the Real Madrid winger had reported that he had been racially abused.
Prestianni denied the allegations, and after a UEFA investigation, he was banned for six matches after being found guilty of ‘homophobic conduct.’
This is why the IFAB ruling states: ‘At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card.’
Will this law be implemented in the SPFL?
Celtic fans are used to controversy; they just watched a campaign end where opponents, even to this day, are still crying about how the Hoops became champions of Scotland again.
But this covering of the mouth law won’t be introduced by the SPFL.
Of course, there are those laws that are the same throughout the world, from whatever continent, and whoever you support.
From the basics, such as offside, match duration and the dimensions of the ball. And they are clear in the IFAB ruling.
However, not all IFAB rulings, even including the use of VAR, have to be implemented domestically. It is a matter of choice for those respective domestic bodies.
The same goes for this ‘covering of the mouth’ rule; while the SPFL hasn’t adopted it for the upcoming 2026/27 season in Scotland, it doesn’t mean it won’t come into practise down the line.
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