FIFA has provided clarity on the circumstances under which players may face disciplinary action for covering their mouths during conversations on the pitch, following scrutiny of an interaction between England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Ghana captain Jordan Ayew.
The discussion emerged after Bellingham was seen covering his mouth while speaking to Ayew during England’s match against Ghana in Boston on June 23, 2026. Despite the gesture, the England star was not cautioned or sent off, prompting questions from football fans and observers.
The incident drew comparisons with an earlier case at the 2026 FIFA World Cup involving Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón and Turkey’s Mert Müldür. In that match, Almirón received a red card after covering his mouth during a heated exchange, with the incident subsequently brought to the referee’s attention.
FIFA has now explained that the act of covering one’s mouth is not automatically considered an offence. Instead, disciplinary action depends largely on the nature and context of the conversation.
According to Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee, match officials assess whether the interaction is friendly or confrontational before determining if any sanction is warranted.
“If the conversation is a friendly conversation, players can continue to do it without any problem. However, when the conversation is confrontational, covering the mouth means that a player is doing something very wrong, potentially, and the sanction is the red card,” Collina explained.
FIFA noted that competition organisers retain the discretion to apply sanctions when a player covers their mouth during an aggressive or confrontational exchange with an opponent.
In the case of Bellingham and Ayew, match officials did not view the interaction as hostile or confrontational and therefore saw no reason to take disciplinary action against the England midfielder.
The clarification has helped explain the difference in treatment between the England-Ghana incident and previous cases where players were punished for similar gestures.
The match itself ended in a draw, with Ghana producing a disciplined defensive display and resilient goalkeeping performance to frustrate England despite several scoring opportunities created by the hosts.
FIFA’s guidance reinforces the principle that context, rather than the gesture alone, remains the determining factor in decisions involving on-field conduct and player discipline.
