The outcome of the Sénégal-Maroc final, awaiting a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, highlights a significant issue. This entire prolonged dispute could have been handled more effectively, preventing a situation where a match result is overturned via administrative decision months after the final whistle.
To preempt such drawn-out controversies, FIFA recently outlined new directives during a congress in Vancouver. According to reports from The Times, the governing body has instructed referees to immediately issue a red card to any player who leaves the field of play to protest an official’s decision.
Similar severe penalties will apply to any team staff member who encourages players to engage in such actions. Furthermore, if an entire squad were to retreat to the changing rooms, as Sénégal did in a previous instance, it would lead to an automatic forfeiture of the match. This regulation is already established, and it was the basis upon which CAF awarded the Africa Cup of Nations final victory to Morocco via a technical decision.
Fifa addresses the Vinicius incident with new measures
In a separate development, FIFA has also implemented measures following another notable incident in recent weeks: the case involving Vinicius and Prestianni. The Brazilian player accused the Benfica athlete of making racist remarks. Ultimately, the Argentinian player was penalized for homophobic insults, which he admitted to uttering.
FIFA’s response? Referees are now instructed to issue a red card to players who speak to an opponent while covering their mouth with their hand. This measure aims to facilitate lip-reading, thereby making it easier to detect any potential racist or offensive comments that might otherwise go unnoticed by officials or opposing players.