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World Cup players who cover their mouths during confrontations could get red cards
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just weeks away, and as I do every four years or so, I’m jonesing for some World Cup soccer.
However, this year’s tournament is bringing with it some new rules, one of which might be one of the goofiest I’ve ever heard.
Want to cover your mouth while jawing with an opponent? Not unless you want a red card, you don’t, pal.
According to The Athletic, FIFA has rolled out some new rules that give officials the latitude to issue players red cards if they cover their mouths during a confrontation with an opponent.
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It’s being left up to the on-field official to decide, based on the circumstances, whether or not to whip out the ol’ red card.
Now, the reason for this dates back to an incident in which Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr. accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of making racist comments. Prestianni denied this, but had his jersey over his mouth the entire time.
He was ultimately banned by UEFA for six matches after admitting to making homophobic comments during the incident, though three of those matches were suspended and also include one match in which he served under a preliminary suspension.
“If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in an interview with Sky News shortly after the incident. “There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.”
A “presumption”? So, now if you’ve got your mouth covered, you’re saying something racist. There’s no other possible explanation!
Noted. It’s always that simple, isn’t it?
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Of course not.
Sure, if someone feels like the pitch is a good place to get racist, send them off… but, now we’re just assuming anyone who covers their mouth is saying something racist or homophobic?
That doesn’t seem like a smart direction to head in, does it? Especially after one incident.
I agree that if a player covers his mouth while chirping an opponent, it’s likely because he doesn’t want it to be heard or lip-read. But that doesn’t mean it’s something racist or homophobic.
I’m not proud of it, but I can think of a lot of chirps that most people would not want broadcast to millions that don’t fall into either of those buckets.
Anyone who has played a sport at any level — high school, college, pro, beer league — can.
Racist and/or homophobic comments aren’t something you want in the game, but these new rules that arrive in time for the World Cup seem to run the risk of going too far.
In fact, it seems reasonable to believe that we could see a player get smeared as a racist homophobe because he covered his mouth, even if that wasn’t the case at all.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Good luck trying to wash that stink off of you in this day and age.
All too often, people bring in a rule like this under the premise of “fighting racism and homophobia” without seemingly weighing the consequences of how it might backfire.
And this one seems to have some serious backfirin’ potential in my opinion.
So, if you’re a soccer player and you don’t want people lip-reading your non-racist and non-homophobic chirps, you’ve still got about a month and a half to hone your ventriloquism chops.
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Alex Cooper pushes back on TikTok dating rules with graphic first-date advice on ‘Call Her Daddy’
“Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper is attracting attention for her provocative dating advice on a recent episode of her popular show.
During the April 5 episode, “Making Dating Fun Again,” Cooper pushed back on dating “rules” she said are popular on TikTok, including advice against kissing on a first date.
“No, I completely disagree with you,” Cooper said. “No kissing on a first date? Well, sometimes I f—– them on the first date! How about that TikTok?”
“If a first kiss feels right, it feels right,” she added. “The first kiss at the end of the date is seriously what they write movies about and songs and books, OK?”
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Cooper went on to tell listeners in graphic detail about sexual activity with her now-husband when they were dating, adding, “You do not need to be denying yourself pleasure to prove some arbitrary point.”
“So kiss them the first date, f—— sleep with them the first night. Like, I don’t care. You have to go based on what feels good to your body and what feels right to you,” Cooper said.
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Cooper also told her listeners not to listen to comments from their “prude” friends.
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“And so, if you have some f—— friends that are prudes that are like, ‘You should never kiss on the first date. You’re going to give them the wrong impression, and they’re just going to think you’re a whore.’ Okay, maybe for you, Cassandra, but I’m about to let him in my back door all night,” Cooper said.
The clip was reposted to X over the weekend, where it drew nearly 3 million views.
“Call Her Daddy” ranked No. 4 among U.S. podcasts in Edison Research’s first-quarter 2026 rankings.
A representative for Cooper did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Tourist dies at luxury resort after cobra from snake show climbs up pants, bites him: police
A German tourist has died after a venomous cobra featured in a snake show reportedly slithered up his pants and bit him on the leg, authorities said.
The freak accident occurred early April at a luxury resort destination in Egypt, according to the Bavarian State Police in Germany, which released details Monday.
“During the snake charmer’s performance, one of the snakes crawled into the trousers of a 57-year-old man, resulting in a bite to the German tourist’s leg,” officials said.
Police said the victim, whose identity was not released, was on vacation with two family members from the Unterallgäu region of Germany.
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Authorities said the snake charmer event was part of a hotel entertainment program in the resort city of Hurghada, a popular Red Sea destination known for its upscale all-inclusive packages, as well as nearby desert and water excursions.
Two snakes, believed to be cobras, were used in the show, officials said.
Investigators indicated that it is not uncommon for performers to allow snakes to interact closely with audience members, as some of the snakes were reportedly placed around guests’ necks during the act.
However, during one segment of the performance, a snake reportedly bit the German tourist after crawling into his clothing.
“He subsequently exhibited clear symptoms of poisoning and required resuscitation,” officials said.
He reportedly died shortly after arriving at a local hospital.
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The results of a toxicological examination are still pending, Bavarian police said.
The investigation is being handled by Germany’s Memmingen Criminal Police Inspectorate under the direction of the Memmingen Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPPO).
Cobras are known for being highly venomous snakes. Their bite can lead to rapid respiratory failure and paralysis without prompt medical treatment.
Fox News Digital has reached out to MPPO for more information.
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