Uefa not to follow Fifa's decision in sending off players who cover mouths during confrontations

Uefa will not follow Fifa's decision to send off players who cover their mouths during confrontation in its club competitions.

The governing body has opted against implementing the rule in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

Rather than adopting the mandatory sending-off approach, Uefa have told match officials to evaluate each incident on its own merits.

Referees retain the option to caution players with a yellow card where mouth-covering constitutes "an attempt to conceal communication as an act of unsporting behaviour".

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Uefa emphasised this approach does not prevent subsequent disciplinary investigations or proceedings connected to such incidents.

The rule gained prominence following a high-profile incident during a Champions League fixture in February.

Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni lifted his shirt to cover his face whilst speaking to Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr during the match.

The Argentine winger initially faced accusations of racial abuse and received a provisional one-match suspension.

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However, Uefa's investigation reached a different conclusion, determining Prestianni had engaged in homophobic conduct.

The governing body handed the player a six-match ban, although three of those matches were suspended.

Despite this incident occurring in Uefa's premier club competition, the organisation has chosen not to adopt Fifa president Gianni Infantino's opt-in red card measure.

Infantino devised the automatic red card rule with the intention of creating a deterrent effect at the World Cup.

The International Football Association Board gave its approval to the law change in April.

The rule has already been enforced at the ongoing World Cup, with Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron becoming the first player dismissed under the new regulation during his nation's group stage encounter with Turkey.

Arsenal's Piero Hincapie also received a red card when Ecuador were eliminated by co-hosts Mexico in the last 16.

Both dismissals came after VAR reviews of the incidents.

Uefa has confirmed it will use VAR to review incorrect corner decisions, a measure that has already seen 22 corners overturned to goal-kicks at the World Cup.

The governing body will also decline to implement automatic red cards for players who leave the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions.

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