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Bellingham Avoids Red Card; Paraguay Demands Same Ban

6/25/2026

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Summary

Martínez Sorto Spares Bellingham

Héctor Said Martínez Sorto did not red-card Jude Bellingham for covering his mouth in the Ghana match, leaving him eligible for England’s Group L game against Panama.
FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina said a red card applies only when mouth-covering occurs in a confrontation.
Paraguay’s football association protested, seeking the same one-match ban as Miguel Almirón.
Almirón was sent off under the rule and will miss Paraguay’s next group match.

Summary

Football authorities debate

The mouth-covering rule remains optional and the Premier League has not announced adoption.
Critics warn that players could provoke opponents then flag a covered mouth to influence disciplinary decisions.
Because each competition decides its own use, the rule may create uneven disciplinary standards.
Football authorities are debating whether to make the regulation a universal standard across FIFA and national bodies.

History

Historical Context

In 1966 a disputed dismissal sparked Ken Aston’s idea; he adapted traffic-light colours and introduced yellow and red cards at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where no player was sent off. The system gave referees a language-neutral way to caution or expel, a principle echoed today when referee Héctor Martínez Sorto ruled on Jude Bellingham’s mouth-covering.

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Martínez Sorto Spares Bellingham

Héctor Said Martínez Sorto did not red-card Jude Bellingham for covering his mouth in the Ghana match, leaving him eligible for England’s Group L game against Panama.
FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina said a red card applies only when mouth-covering occurs in a confrontation.
Paraguay’s football association protested, seeking the same one-match ban as Miguel Almirón.
Almirón was sent off under the rule and will miss Paraguay’s next group match.

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