Do I beat Prestianni? : Gianni Infantino asked for direct red for players who speak with their mouths covered

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, took a stand in the midst of the investigation into the cross between Gianluca Prestianni and Vinícius Júnior and launched a strong proposal: to expel any player who covers his mouth when speaking if that gesture is linked to

a racist expression.

“If a player covers his mouth and says something, and that has a racist consequence, then he has to be banned, obviously,” he said in a dialogue with Sky News. The Swiss leader went further and raised a direct presumption about this conduct: "There must be a presumption that he has said something that he should not have said. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth. I just don't understand it: if you have nothing to hide, don't cover your mouth when you say something

.”

Infantino reinforced his message with an institutional approach: "That's all, it's that simple. And these are actions that we can take and that we need to take to take seriously our fight against racism.”

The case originated after a match between Benfica and Real Madrid, when Vinícius reported having received an alleged racist insult. UEFA is keeping the investigation open to determine what happened, although the exchange could not be fully clarified because the Argentine soccer player had his mouth covered at the time of the crossing

.

The topic was also addressed at the last meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), where the need to review this type of gesture during discussions on the field was discussed. If the initiative succeeds, the intention is that a possible regulatory amendment will take effect as of the 2026 World Cup

.

While the disciplinary case continues its course, the position of the world's top soccer leader opens up the debate on new tools to combat racism on the court.