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Why Harry Kane Wasn’t Sent Off For Covering His Mouth

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The 2026 World Cup has brought in the introduction of multiple new rules, some a lot stranger than others. But one that seemed to make sense was the banning of players covering their mouths when in conversation with an opponent.

Before the tournament, there had been multiple scenarios when players couldn’t be proven guilty of foul language due to covering their mouths when talking to other players, the most noticeable being when Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior in Benfica’s Champions League tie against Real Madrid.

Following this event, FIFA introduced a law, often called the ‘Prestianni rule’, ahead of the World Cup tournament that prohibits players from covering their mouths when talking to opponents, and they will be given a red card if they are caught doing so.

It has been seen being used in effect during the World Cup, when Miguel Almiron was sent off for Paraguay against Turkey after he covered his mouth in conversation with a Turkey player.

Harry Kane Goes Unpunished Against Argentina

Thomas Tuchel and Harry Kane at the 2026 World Cup IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck

Harry Kane could’ve put himself in a tricky situation during England’s World Cup tie against Argentina when he appeared to cover his mouth during talks with the referee. It looked to be an innocent mistake, and Kane only appeared to have covered his mouth for a matter of seconds, but it was enough for Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes to go rushing to the referee, reminding him of the rule that Kane should be sent off.

However, referee Ismail Elfath was completely uninterested in what Paredes had to say regarding the matter, and waved away any claims of Kane being punished, with the referee much more focused on trying to remember who should be receiving the yellow card in his hand.

Why Harry Kane Was Right To Avoid Red Card

Carlos Queiroz pursuits Jude Bellingham at the 2026 World Cup David Butler Ii via Reuters

Whilst the rules do explicitly say that players who cover their mouths will be shown a red card, there have been multiple scenarios where players have avoided punishment after committing the offence during the tournament.

Although the law does sound harsh, there is, luckily, some room for interpretation around the rules that does allow players like Kane to avoid unfair punishment.

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Refereeing legend and FIFA’s Head of Referees, Pierluigi Collina, was very open before the tournament regarding the rule, and insisted the rule wasn’t there to catch out any innocent culprits.

Per the BBC, Collina said: “Players can continue to cover their mouth with an arm and a shirt because they may chat with friends. It’s normal for players to chat with their friends before, during, or after the match.

“So if the conversation is a friendly conversation, they can continue to do it without any problem.”

“When the conversation is confrontational, covering the mouth means that you are doing something very wrong, potentially, and the sanction is the red card.”

The quotes from Collina are very clear as to why players like Kane haven’t been sent off when covering their mouths. Not only was Kane not talking to a player, but he was also not in a confrontational situation with the referee, and was merely communicating with him as he is the England Captain.

Jude Bellingham faced a similar scenario during England’s game against Ghana, when the Real Madrid star covered his mouth when talking to his opponent. However, after a VAR review, it was clear that neither player was in a confrontation and was having a normal chat with each other, so Bellingham wasn’t sent off.

It’s a rule that has caused controversy throughout the tournament, but it is a rule that protects players from discrimination, and if used correctly, it will only catch the true perpetrators.

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Why Jude Bellingham Slapped Argentina Player After England’s World Cup Exit

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Argentina have booked their place in the World Cup final against Spain after coming back from behind to beat England 2-1 in the semi-final.

The loss for England means that their 60-year wait for a trophy will continue after their lacklustre display in the semi-final, despite taking the lead through Anthony Gordon.

The game was a feisty encounter between the two sides, with plenty of tackles flying in from players on both teams.

One of the more heated moments came when Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham appeared to slap Argentina substitute Valentin Barco on the back of the head following Argentina’s winning goal.

Jude Bellingham Appears to Strike an Argentine Player

England manager Thomas Tuchel shakes hands with Jude Bellingham as he walks off the pitch after being substituted vs Norway REUTERS/Marco Bello

With tensions running high and England on the back foot ever since the Argentina equaliser, you could tell that the stadium and tempers would flare when the winning goal came, but no one expected Bellingham to be caught striking an opposition player after the game.

The slap from Bellingham appears to be a fairly strong strike to the back of Barco’s head, and it also doesn’t show any justification or explanation as to why Barco became the victim of Bellingham’s confrontation.

Everyone knows that Bellingham is a very passionate player who wears his heart on his sleeve every time he steps out onto the pitch, but this encounter could be seen to show the Englishman in a bad light and left many wondering why he lashed out.

Why Bellingham Wasn’t Happy With Barco After England Loss

Valentin Barco

Whilst there is no justification for players lashing out on a football pitch, the Metro do provide an explanation as to why Bellingham perhaps let his anger get the better of him in this situation.

After the Argentina winner, Barco appeared to have run down to the England dugout to celebrate in front of Thomas Tuchel’s staff and substitutes after Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser, rightfully leaving many of the players angered.

Ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said via BBC Radio Five Live, “We’ve not seen much sportsmanship today and that was probably the worst example of sportsmanship we’ve seen at this World Cup.”

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It was a semi-final full of high tempers and crash-outs, and this was the pinnacle of the poor sportsmanship seen during the game, and perhaps explains why Bellingham saw fit to confront Barco.

It was after this behaviour from Barco that Bellingham was seen running after Barco, and that was when he slapped the Argentine around the back of the head.

The situation would’ve had no impact on Barco, as he saw his country make it to their second consecutive World Cup final, although he never made it onto the pitch.

Argentina now faces Spain at MetLife Stadium on Sunday evening in the final, where Lionel Messi will be hoping to win his second World Cup in a row.

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Mark Henry Names WWE Superstar He Couldn’t Stand

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WWE legend Mark Henry is one of the most universally respected performers in modern-day professional wrestling history.

Across a 22-year in-ring career, the former World Heavyweight Champion worked for both WWE and AEW.

During that time, the WWE Hall of Famer shared looker rooms with countless fellow wrestlers.

GIVEMESPORT exclusively spoke to The World’s Strongest Man, via Casino.org, about one Superstar he worked with who he couldn’t stand.

Mark Henry Has ‘Never Said Anything Good’ About One WWE Superstar

Mark Henry "Retires" From The WWE

“Hate is a powerful word, but I did dislike several,” admitted Henry. It’s no secret that I’ve never said anything good about Ahmed Johnson.”

Johnson is most famous for his stint in WWE between 1995 and 1998. He won the Intercontinental Championship in June 1996 and was widely tipped to be a future world champion.

The Pearl River Powerhouse was even set to headline that year’s SummerSlam, before health issues ruled him out of the show. Those same health concerns, combined with backstage issues, led to Johnson leaving WWE altogether in 1998.

Why Henry Disliked His Former WWE Colleague

mark-henry

Henry spent several years working alongside Johnson and it’s clear he didn’t enjoy the experience.

While the pair didn’t have any issues working together in the ring, it was Henry’s experience of Johnson backstage that really upset the Silsby, Texas native.

“I just didn’t think that he was a good person. He lied using my name, and he did some things that if I told them to anybody, they would be very incriminating.”

“But, even in my dislike for him, I’ve still protected him from going to prison, but he just wasn’t a good person.”

Henry didn’t expand on the exact nature of the issues between the pair, but it is obvious that he is still bothered by the way he he was treated.

Following his WWE departure, Johnson would resurface in WCW in 2000, where he immediately entered into a feud with Booker T. Now known as Big T, Johnson and Booker had a pay-per-view match at SuperBrawl 2000.

In a bout for ‘the rights to the letter T’ (yes, seriously), Big T defeated Booker in a short match that received poor reviews. Johnson would leave WCW in June 2000 and only wrestled another six matches in his career.

That Ahmed had such a brief post-WWE run in the ring is likely an indication of how poorly thought of he was by those who worked with him. Henry, meanwhile, is currently signed to a WWE Legends deal and continues to represent the company as an ambassador.

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Man Utd Eyeing Move to Sign Midfield Star Alongside Manu Kone

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Manchester United are eyeing a move to sign another midfielder alongside Manu Kone this summer, according to Mark Goldbridge.

The Red Devils made upgrading their midfield options a priority this summer, and have already completed deals to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for a combined £85m, while Karl Darlow has arrived on a free transfer to strengthen the goalkeeper department.

But the club are still keen to bring in additional reinforcements for Michael Carrick after Manuel Ugarte’s serious knee injury and Casemiro’s exit, which has seen the club hold talks over a move for AS Roma star Kone.

Man Utd Eyeing Another Midfielder

Michael Carrick

Kone, who shone for France at the World Cup before their elimination at the semi-final stage to Spain, is expected to leave the Serie A club this summer, and is understood to be available for around £50m.

GMS understands that initial talks have been held between United, the player’s camp, and Roma about a deal to take him to Old Trafford, but he isn’t the only name being discussed.

According to Goldbridge, who is known to have inside information through his YouTube channel, there is another star being targeted, although that player is not Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga, despite reports.

“Kone is ongoing and there is one other midfielder United are considering,” he wrote. “Not Camavinga at this stage.”

Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Reds have made enquiries about a move for Camavinga in recent days, while Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba, and Ayyoub Bouaddi have all been linked with a switch to Old Trafford in this window.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

Man Utd Keeping Their Business Quiet

Manchester United senior officials Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada look on

While United have been busy in the market this summer, and there are a number of names being linked with a move to the club, its fair to say that there was little talk about the deals they have got done until they were done.

There has been a lot of talk about Manu Kone in recent days, and while the interest is clearly there, INEOS have been very careful in this window and it’s likely that the unnamed target is being left unnamed for a reason – they don’t want it to leak.

A third midfielder is expected to arrive in this window, and Carrick will know exactly what he wants, so it will be very interesting to see who they are able to bring in before the season begins.

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