Argentina’s dramatic comeback victory over England in the World Cup semi-final wasn’t just about the battles on the field — it also sparked a major controversy off it. The heated match saw frequent scuffles between the two teams.
England midfielder Declan Rice escaped serious punishment in the 2-1 defeat that ended England’s World Cup dreams. Despite appearing to break one of FIFA’s new rules, the Arsenal star managed to avoid the attention of the referee and match officials.
Players from both teams got into a heated argument in the first half after Elliot Anderson was fouled in midfield. As tensions flared, Rice walked straight up to Argentina captain Lionel Messi and protested vehemently, covering his face with his hands while doing so.
Under FIFA’s new rules, this is a punishable offense, but Rice avoided sanction because match officials failed to notice the incident at the time. In the end, though, the match was decided by events on the field: England took an early lead through Anthony Gordon, but Argentina snatched victory with goals from Enzo Fernández and substitute Lautaro Martínez.
The reason behind all the talk surrounding the Declan Rice incident is a new, stricter rule introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The rule was recently brought in to stop players from covering their faces while speaking to opponents, and it stems from a controversial incident involving Vinícius Júnior and Gianluca Prestianni.
Benfica winger Prestianni was banned for six matches worldwide after being found guilty of using a homophobic slur, forcing him to miss the first two matches of the World Cup. Vinícius, for his part, alleged that Prestianni had directed racist abuse at him — a charge Prestianni vehemently denies. However, the 20-year-old covered his face with his hands while speaking, making it impossible to confirm what he actually said from the footage, and the investigation had to rely solely on the accounts of a few witnesses.
Following this incident, FIFA introduced a strict rule stating that covering one’s face with a hand during any heated or aggressive argument with an opponent would result in an immediate red card.
