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There is another explanation
The implementation of the “Brestiani Law” at the 2026 World Cup sparked widespread controversy after Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron was sent off for gagging, while Argentina’s Lionel Messi escaped punishment despite doing the same, raising questions between the standards of the law and provocative chatter.
According to the website “GiveMeSportFormer Newcastle player Almiron became the first player in World Cup history to be sent off in Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey after Video Assistant Technology (VAR) revealed he had covered his mouth during a provocative verbal altercation with a Turkish player.
The referee turned to the video assistant screen before brandishing the red card directly in the Paraguayan’s face in the first actual application of the “Brestiani Law”, which was added last May to FIFA’s 2026-2027 rules. with version changes.
According to the fourth paragraph of Article 12 of the new law, players, substitutes or substituted players must be sent off if they cover their mouth (with a hand, hand or shirt) while addressing an opponent in a provocative, sarcastic, insulting or provocative, insulting or sarcastic situation.
The new law aims to prevent players from covering up offensive or racist comments by covering their mouths when speaking, and comes after Portugal’s Gianluca Pristiani’s row with Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior of Portugal’s Benfica sparked allegations of racism.
But the biggest controversy was sparked by a photo that quickly went viral on social media, showing Argentina captain Lionel Messi with his hand over his mouth during his country’s 3-0 opener against Algeria.
Despite the clarity of the image, neither the referee nor the video-assistance technology took any action against Messi, 39, prompting many fans and analysts to claim the Argentine star was being treated preferentially by referees and officials.
This is not the first time Messi has been accused of avoiding punishment at this tournament, as many believed he was lucky not to receive a straight red card following his brutal tackle on Algerian defender Issa Mendy in the same game.
But Italian Pierluigi Collina, a former international referee and head of the FIFA Arbitration Committee, according to the website “RCC:He gave a crucial clarification on the application of the law, saying: “If the conversation is friendly, they can continue without any problem, in case of hostile conversation, it is strictly forbidden.”
Colina added that a player who, for example, covers his mouth when going to the locker room to speak quietly to a teammate will not be penalized, noting that context and intent are the determining factors in applying the law.
Here is a possible explanation why Messi was not punished, as the referee could have assessed that his speech was not provocative or offensive, unlike the case of Almiron, who was clearly in a verbal dispute with an opponent.
But this explanation did not convince everyone, as the apparent inconsistency in the application of the law sparked outrage on social media platforms, with tweets demanding more transparency and clarity in the application criteria.
It should be noted that the amendment states that this rule is “applicable at the discretion of the competition”, meaning that each tournament or tournament must include it in its rules, which may explain some variation in application between different competitions.
Critics say this flexibility in enforcement can open the door to different interpretations and reinforce the belief that big stars get special protection while lesser-known players are punished more severely for the same actions.
