Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The Ecuadorian defender keeps his mouth shut during an argument with the Mexican star
In the process, Piero Hincapi, the defender of the national team of Ecuador, received a straight red card His country’s team lost to Mexico 0-2 in the 32nd round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.After he broke one of the new laws enforced by the International Football Federation (FIFA) in the tournament.
Arsenal defender Hincup was sent off in stoppage time in the game that saw Ecuador’s national team out of the World Cup after he got into an altercation with Mexico striker Santiago Jimenez.
During the incident, Hincap covered his mouth while talking to his opponent, which prompted Jimenez to go straight to Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, demanding a review of the strike.
After reverting to video assistant referee (VAR) technology, the referee decided to show the Ecuador defender a straight red card, making him the second player to be sent off at the 2026 World Cup for breaching a new law that prohibits covering his mouth during confrontations or conversations on the pitch.
The law was known in the media as the “Vinicius Law”, after Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior went public after accusing Benfica’s Gianluca Pristani of making racist remarks while covering his mouth.
Paraguayan Miguel Almiron, a former Newcastle player, previously received the same fine during his country’s group stage match against Turkey when he covered his mouth while talking to one of the players.
At the time, FIFA handed Almiron a one-match ban, which kept him out of the match against Australia, before he returned to play with Paraguay against Germany, which his country won on penalties.
As for Hincapi, the ban will not affect Ecuador’s national team’s journey in the tournament, after their campaign officially ended following a round of 32 exit following a defeat by the hosts.
