New FIFA Rule Costs Piero Hincapie a Red Card at World Cup

Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie was shown a straight red card during his country's FIFA World Cup Round of 32 defeat to Mexico after breaching one of football's newest disciplinary rules.

The incident occurred deep into stoppage time with Ecuador trailing 2-0. Hincapie approached Mexico forward Santiago Gimenez during a heated exchange and appeared to speak while covering his mouth with his hand.

Gimenez immediately alerted referee Slavko Vincic, who issued the Ecuadorian defender a straight red card.

The dismissal makes Hincapie the second player at the tournament to be sent off under the recently introduced law.

Earlier in the competition, Paraguay's Miguel Almiron received the same punishment for a similar offence during a group-stage fixture.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) introduced the rule in April, making it a sending-off offence for players to cover their mouths while speaking during confrontations.

The change was designed to improve transparency and help match officials deal with incidents involving abusive, discriminatory or offensive language that cannot be verified when conversations are deliberately concealed.

The amendment followed a controversial UEFA Champions League clash involving Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and Benfica youngster Gianluca Prestianni.

After that encounter, football lawmakers decided stronger measures were needed to discourage players from hiding verbal exchanges during on-field disputes.

Although there has been no suggestion that Hincapie used discriminatory language, the law is applied regardless of what is said.

The Arsenal defender will automatically serve a one-match suspension unless FIFA's disciplinary committee decides to impose a longer ban.