2026 World Cup: Piero Hincapié excluded for covering his mouth against Mexico

During Ecuador's defeat against Mexico (2-0) on Tuesday evening in the 2026 World Cup, defender Piero Hincapié became the second player in the tournament to be sent off for covering his mouth during an altercation with an opponent. The 24-year-old Arsenal player hid his lips as he exchanged with Santiago Gimenez in second-half injury time as Ecuador headed out the door.

Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic had not seen the incident live, but eventually showed the red card after consulting the VAR-recommended footage. This expulsion follows a precedent in the competition: the Paraguayan Miguel Almiron, also sanctioned during the match against Turkey in the group stage, even though his team won 1-0.

Image

The new FIFA regulations, adopted at a special meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in April in Vancouver, make hiding the mouth in conflictual contexts during exchanges between players a reason for exclusion. Pierluigi Collina, boss of FIFA referees, had clarified before the competition that this rule only applied to situations deemed aggressive and not to friendly discussions. However, it is at the discretion of the referee, who takes the context into account, to show the red card.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino explained that the aim was to avoid any form of verbal abuse that could go unnoticed thanks to this gesture. The affair broke out in February when Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica) lifted his jersey to hide his lips during a controversial exchange with Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) in the Champions League, which led to a series of investigations and sanctions from UEFA.

Note that during another match at the 2026 World Cup, English midfielder Jude Bellingham was not sanctioned after covering his mouth while speaking to Jordan Ayew (Ghana), a sign that this new regulatory framework continues to spark debate and places the final decision in the hands of the referee.