Darren Yamashita-Imagn Photos
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron (center) argues with referee Ivan Barton (right) with defender Juan Jose Caceres (left) during a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Last week, Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón was dealt an early exit from a clash with Turkey for an offense FIFA promised would be met with a red card at the World Cup. One of his compatriots made it very clear that he wasn’t thrilled with that decision while covering the match, and he won’t have the chance to express his displeasure for the rest of the tournament after losing his media credentials.
The mandatory hydration breaks that have spawned plenty of controversy since becoming a staple of everyone WC This year’s game is easily the most significant change FIFA rolled out ahead of the tournament, but it’s not the only tweak that has been introduced.
The governing body has spent years fighting racist, homophobic and other inflammatory language used by players and fans alike. Follow an incident during a Champions League match in Aprilit adopted a new rule approved by the IFAB which gives referees the right to draw a red card if a player covers their mouth while verbally attacking an opponent on the pitch.
We were treated to our first sending off of that particular nature at the World Cup when Paraguay and Turkey met on Friday, and a football commentator hailing from the former won’t be calling any more games as it continues to unfold thanks to his reaction.
A Paraguayan broadcaster has been banned from telecasting more World Cup matches after lashing out at FIFA over Miguel Almirón’s red card
Paraguay’s World Cup roster features a pair of rising stars in the form of Julio Enciso and Diego Gomez, and the squad also relied on the experience of veteran Miguel Almirón heading into a tournament where they faced an uphill battle to progress from a group where the USA and Turkey were expected to finish in the top two.
The team opened things up with a 4-1 loss at the hands of America, but they earned a decisive 1-0 victory over Turkey on Friday in what was essentially a must-win game. But they suffered a loss in that competition when Almirón became the first player to receive a red card for covering his mouth after he was sent off towards the end of the first half following a confrontation with Mert Muldur.
Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón is sent off with a red card 🟥 pic.twitter.com/adQyHF296s
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) 20 June 2026
It was a pretty clear violation, but according to Reuters, it nevertheless sparked a fiery reaction from Jorge “Chipi” Vera, the Paraguayan commentator covering the match for the country’s ABC TV.
Vera began an altercation in which he referred to Iván Barton, the referee who issued the red, as a “thief” before lashing out at FIFA (and its president, Gianni Infantino) for the rule change that not only put Paraguay down a man for the rest of the game, but led to Almirón being suspended for the final group stage match against Australia.
Vera subsequently received his own suspension when FIFA responded to his comments by stripping him of his media credentials and banning him from covering matches “either inside the stadiums or outside them” in addition to “any kind of participation or coverage related to the World Cup” (he did apologize for his comments on Monday, but it was too late).
As of this writing, Almirón remains the only player to have received a red for covering their mouth, although some fans argued that England’s Jude Bellingham should have been disciplined to go that way while chatting with Ghana’s Jordan Ayew on Tuesday.
However, seam BBC notesthe referees have some leeway as the rule only applies when players butt heads as opposed to having a friendly conversation.
