Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron was shown a straight red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey's Mert Muldur on June 20, 2026.
The incident marked the first application of FIFA's new 'Prestianni rule' at the World Cup.
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The dismissal occurred during first-half stoppage time of the Group D Matchday 2 encounter, just after Paraguay had taken a 1-0 lead.
Matias Galarza scored the opener just 64 seconds into the game.
VAR Review Leads to Red Card
Referee Ivan Barton initially issued a yellow card but upgraded it to a straight red after a VAR consultation.
The review revealed that Almiron had covered his mouth while speaking to Muldur, a gesture FIFA banned to prevent undetected discriminatory language.
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The ban was introduced following a Champions League dispute between Vinicius Jr. and Gianluca Prestianni.
Almiron's expulsion leaves Paraguay with 10 men for the remainder of the match and triggers an automatic suspension for the final group stage fixture against Australia.
Before the match, Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro addressed the media regarding pressure on the squad.
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"Péguenme a mí," Alfaro said, asking critics to target him instead because he has thick skin, while urging fans to support his players on the pitch.
