Footballers covering their mouths should be sent off – Gianni Infantino

Gianni Infantino, president of football’s world governing body, says players who cover their mouths while talking to opponents during a match should be sent off.

infantino he told Sky News, external He thought referees should operate from the assumption that players said “something they shouldn’t have done”.

Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni’s Champions League match against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. He was speaking less than two weeks after he lifted his shirt over his mouth while talking to .

The Argentine football player was given a temporary one-match ban by UEFA for allegedly using racist language, but he denies this allegation.

The ban was imposed pending the outcome of the ethics and disciplinary inspector’s full investigation, and Prestianni could face further punishment once the investigation is completed.

Infantino said individual cases should be dealt with by the relevant institutions, but football more broadly needs to “take action and be determined” to introduce something that has a “deterrent effect”.

The issue was discussed at the annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (Ifab) in Wales this weekend.

It was agreed that consultations would be held to develop measures to prevent players from hiding what they had to say to their opponents.

Infantino said: “If a player closes his mouth and says something and it has a racist consequence, then of course he should be sent off.

“There must be an assumption that he said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.

“If you have nothing to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. It’s that simple.”