Lionel Messi Seeks Red Card For Spain’s Cucurella: Is Covering Mouth An Offence? Rule & Backlash Explained

Last Updated:July 20, 2026, 13:29 IST

FIFA World Cup Final: Argentina legend Lionel Messi demanded red card for Spain's Marc Cucurella for covering his mouth. Did he get it? Why is it an offence? News18 explains

Lionel Messi is facing widespread backlash after aggressively urging the referee to show Marc Cucurella a red card during Argentina’s 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.

Why? Because he covered his mouth while speaking to Messi. Why is it an offence? What happened in this case? News18 explains.

FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL: GROUND REALITY

During the final between Spain and Argentina, Argentina was reduced to 10 men in the 93rd minute after Enzo Fernández was sent off. During the ensuing on-field commotion, Spanish defender Cucurella briefly covered his mouth with his hand while speaking to Messi.

Messi immediately reacted by passionately signaling and gesturing to referee Slavko Vinčić, demanding that Cucurella be given a straight red card for violating FIFA’s newly implemented mouth-covering restriction.

WHY IS IT AN OFFENCE IN FOOTBALL?

Covering your mouth during a verbal confrontation with an opponent is an offence. Approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), it is punishable by an immediate red card in tournaments where the rule is enforced, such as the FIFA World Cup.

The rule was established to prevent players from hiding abusive or discriminatory language during on-field arguments, as lip-reading has become a crucial tool in investigating disciplinary incidents. However, the law is not globally mandatory for all competitions; it is applied at the discretion of individual tournament organizers.

FIFA: Fully enforces the rule, which can result in a straight red card for hiding your mouth with your hand, arm, or shirt during a confrontation.

UEFA: Implemented this rule as unsportsmanlike conduct, but they have opted to punish it with a yellow card rather than an outright dismissal in their club and international competitions, such as the Champions League.

WAS CUCURELLA SENT OFF?

Referee Vinčić and the VAR team reviewed the incident but chose not to penalise Cucurella. Under FIFA’s strict guidelines, the mouth-covering rule is contextual rather than an automatic dismissal for any lip obstruction:

The officials determined that no malicious, abusive, or discriminatory language was exchanged during the brief interaction.

While it occurred during a broader stoppage, the specific exchange between Cucurella and Messi was deemed non-confrontational, meaning the high threshold required for an official mouth-covering red card was not met.

THE BACKLASH

The match proceeded, and Spain ultimately defeated Argentina 1–0 in extra time through a goal by Ferran Torres.

Following the match, Messi faced significant criticism from football pundits—including Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart—who labeled his frantic appeal to the referee as “sad" and an act of “desperation" to get an opponent dismissed.

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Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...Read More

News explainers Lionel Messi Seeks Red Card For Spain’s Cucurella: Is Covering Mouth An Offence? Rule & Backlash Explained

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