England have been accused of benefiting from ‘two-tier refereeing’ after Jude Bellingham covered his mouth to talk to Ghana opponent Jordan Ayew during Tuesday night’s Group L clash in Boston.
Unlike Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron, who became the first player to be sent off at the World Cup for covering his mouth during his country’s opening group stage clash against Turkey, Bellingham was not shown a red card.
The technicalities of the new law, which was introduced in April after a high-profile incident in a Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica last season, could explain why the English No 10 escaped punishment.
The law came about after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni attempted to hide verbal insults towards Madrid’s Vinicius Junior. The Argentine international was accused of racist abuse – which he denied – and provisionally banned for one match.
Following a UEFA investigation, Prestianni was instead found guilty of homophobic conduct and banned for six matches – three of which were suspended.
Players often cover their mouths to talk to each other confidentially on the pitch, away from the scrutiny of lip readers. Under the new rule introduced by the law regulators IFAB in the wake of the incident, they are still allowed to do so, but the referee may sanction a player with a red card if they do so in what they deem to be a ‘confrontational situation’.
England have been accused of benefiting from ‘two-tier refereeing’ after Jude Bellingham covered his mouth to talk to Ghana opponent Jordan Ayew
Under the new rule introduced by the law regulators IFAB, the referee may sanction a player with a red card if they cover their mouth in a ‘confrontational situation’
Almiron was given a one-match suspension when he covered his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey’s Mert Muldur
In the incident relating to Almiron, he was given a one-match suspension when he covered his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey’s Mert Muldur late in the first half of Paraguay’s 1-0 win last Friday.
The incident was not initially seen by the on-field referee, but Muldur waved to him to say Almiron had covered his mouth before VAR intervened and confirmed it, resulting in a red card.
As for Bellingham, the situation appeared to emerge after Bellingham had escaped a yellow card for barging into Ghana defender Jerome Opoku late in the first half. Leicester City forward Ayew then appeared to approach Bellingham, who responded to him with his hand over his mouth.
While the decision to send off a player for covering their mouth during a ‘confrontational incident’ remains at the discretion of the referee, what’s clear is that there will inevitably be a grey area over how this is defined – with Ayew clearly not taking as much of an issue with the situation as Muldur had against Almiron.
Regardless, foreign papers have used the incident to argue that England are enjoying the luxury of ‘two-tier refereeing’, with French publication RMC Sport writing: ‘Double standards? Jude Bellingham (22 years old) escaped being sent off on Tuesday during the match between England and Ghana (0-0).
‘The English midfielder was caught covering his mouth with his hand during an exchange with Ghanaian striker Jordan Ayew.
‘Bellingham can consider himself lucky to have escaped the notice of Honduran referee Said Martinez, already heavily criticised for other controversial decisions during this match (Jordan Pickford’s unpunished foul, the penalty not awarded to Ghana).
‘Paraguayan Miguel Almiron, however, paid a heavy price for the application of this new rule. The midfielder was sent off during the match against Turkey (1-0) for covering his mouth with his hand during an exchange with defender Mert Muldur, who immediately alerted the referee.
‘Jude Bellingham got off lightly.’
The new law was introduced in April after a high-profile incident in a Champions League game when Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior accused Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him
Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz accused Bellingham of having a ‘bad reaction’ at half-time after the England No 10 escaped a yellow for a barge on Ghana’s Opoku late in the first half
After the game, Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz accused Bellingham of having a ‘bad reaction’ at half-time, when the Three Lions’ playmaker exchanged heated words with opposition players as they headed to the tunnel following the barge on Opoku.
Bellingham was also spotted rowing with a Ghana coach as tempers flared, with Queiroz – who claimed his side had a clear penalty turned down – held back by his staff.
Images seemed to show both sides exchanging expletive-laden insults. ‘He had a bad reaction with some bad names,’ Queiroz, the former Manchester United assistant, said.
‘My intention was to tell him to cool down with that tackle. He went in with his foot against my player. But my first goal was to cool down because I was worried that the player was not in 100 per cent health.
‘In the middle of the emotional moment these things are normal. He swears and that created more tension. It’s football, it’s nothing special. One word created a bit of fire, but we cooled down. Football is not dancing in a saloon with tuxedos. It’s not a show.’
Elsewhere, Spanish publication Marca claimed that ‘the ‘ghost’ of (Gareth) Southgate looms over England’, after their inability to break down Ghana’s low block.
Despite dominating possession, Tuchel’s side were restricted to just three shots on target over the whole game, while the best chance came when Nico O’Reilly hit the post in the final few minutes – before Harry Kane skied the follow-up over the bar.
‘Queiroz and his Ghana side rekindled old ghosts that seemed to have been banished after Southgate’s resignation,’ Marca wrote.
Indeed, Tuchel will be keen to ensure that his side’s profligacy in front of goal remains confined to just this one game.
