Milan, 2 March (LaPresse) – FIFA President Gianni Infantino has raised the possibility of expelling players who cover their mouths when addressing opponents. The issue has been highlighted in recent weeks after Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior claimed he was racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League match. Prestianni, who denies the allegations, approached Vinicius covering his mouth with his shirt during Real Madrid's 1-0 win in the first leg of the playoff. He has been provisionally suspended for the return leg pending investigation. The issue of players covering their mouths was discussed on Saturday at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The measures could come into force during this summer's World Cup. ‘If a player covers his mouth and says something, and that has a racist consequence, then he must be sent off, obviously,’ Infantino told Sky News. ‘You have to assume that he said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have covered his mouth. I just don't understand: if you have nothing to hide, you don't hide your mouth when you say something. It's that simple. And these are actions we can and must take to take our fight against racism seriously,’ he concluded.
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