Overview
- Football’s lawmaking panel IFAB approved the two amendments at a special meeting Tuesday in Vancouver, and FIFA said they will apply at the tournament that begins June 11.
- Under the mouth-covering provision, referees can dismiss a player who hides speech during a confrontation at the organizer’s discretion, a response to the Vinícius Júnior–Gianluca Prestianni clash that led UEFA to issue a six-match ban for homophobic conduct.
- Players or officials who leave the field to protest a decision can now be sent off, with teams that cause a match to be abandoned set to forfeit in principle, a step tied to Senegal’s January AFCON walk-off now under appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
- FIFA also increased team-related payments to about $871 million by raising preparation funds and qualification awards, and it will wipe single yellow cards after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals to reduce late-tournament suspensions.
- Reporters and advocates warn the walk-off sanction could penalize players who leave due to racist abuse and flag risks to journalists and immigrants in host countries, while FIFA plans to brief all 48 teams on the updates in the coming weeks.