Players who cover mouths in confrontations to be sent off at World Cup

Players who cover their mouths in confrontations with opponents to conceal discriminatory conduct face being sent off at the World Cup - after football's rule-makers voted through plans first revealed by Sky News. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in our interview last month he wanted quick action to change the laws of the game following abuse faced by Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr that went unpunished during a Champions League fixture. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced after a meeting in Vancouver, Canada: "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." FIFA will adopt the law change for the World Cup which is being played in June and July across the United States, Canada and Mexico. A 'presumption' of wrongdoing The incident in the match in Lisbon in February led to anti-discrimination protocols being activated after Vinicius complained about being racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni after scoring a goal. It was unclear what Prestianni said because his mouth was covered. Mr Infantino said after the incident: "If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously. "There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth."