Jackson Irvine, a key player for the Socceroos, has expressed his support for FIFA’s decision to issue red cards for players who cover their mouths while speaking, following Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón receiving a red card during a match against Turkey.
The upcoming match between Australia and Paraguay is critical, as both teams vie for second place in their group at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Thursday (Friday AEST). A defeat for either side will lead to a tense wait to see if they can advance as one of the eight best third-placed teams from the twelve groups.
Almirón’s dismissal marked him as the first player penalized under a newly implemented rule aimed at curbing the behavior of players covering their mouths while addressing opponents. His suspension for the final Group D match is a significant advantage for the Socceroos.
Irvine, who serves on FIFPro’s global player council, noted that players had been adequately warned about the new regulation, which he considers necessary. “I know it’s going to be controversial in some ways because we don’t know the nature of what [the comment] was, but when you look at what’s happened in the past, especially around what happened with Vinícius Júnior, I think it takes everything out of the equation.” he remarked.
Earlier this year, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni faced scrutiny for making remarks to Real Madrid’s Júnior while obscuring his mouth, which went unchecked during the game. Although he wasn’t sent off at that time, he received a six-match ban later for using homophobic language.
The International Football Association Board, which oversees the laws of the game, approved the red card policy for such conduct in April.
Irvine believes Almirón’s situation is justified. “If you’re saying something to someone that you don’t want to be seen, then I think it’s safe to say that if you can’t be seen saying it, then it shouldn’t be said,” he explained. “For me, it’s a clear line on the rule, and we were all told about it, so it is what it is.”
Despite Almirón being sidelined, Paraguay approaches the match with confidence after a 1-0 win against Turkey. However, they must secure a victory over the Socceroos to surpass them into second place in Group D. The third-place team might still qualify for the knockout stage, depending on results from other groups.
Australia has yet to achieve a win against any South American team in World Cup history, and Irvine anticipates a challenging encounter. He expects Paraguay to exhibit a physical, skillful, and unpredictable style of play. “just a totally different type of game” he stated.
“incredible individual quality” Irvine added. “Watching Paraguay against Turkey last night, there was a sequence towards the end of the game that sums up their style of football,”
He emphasized that the Socceroos need to improve their performance against Paraguay compared to their first half against the USA. “It was with about five minutes to go, and they had won the ball back high up the pitch, and they had a chance to go to the corner. The guy just whips the cross into the back stick with three guys, and they try and score again with 10 men and they’re 1-0 up. Expect the unexpected. I guess that’s probably the best way to put it.” Irvine said.
“The main thing that we have to get better from the first half is just being able to come into the duels and arrive – in the physical side of the game – a little bit better, and ride through those difficult moments,”
