Declan Rice breaks FIFA rule in Lionel Messi incident as England sent home from World Cup

Declan Rice might consider himself lucky to have avoided disciplinary action after appearing to breach FIFA’s new mouth-covering rule during England’s World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina.

The Three Lions suffered a painful 2-1 defeat in Atlanta, with Anthony Gordon’s opener overturned by Enzo Fernandez and a late header from substitute Lautaro Martinez sealing the win for the South Americans.

But England’s fate could have taken an even worse turn had officials spotted Rice’s actions early in the first half. Following a foul on Elliot Anderson in midfield, players from both sides gathered in a heated exchange.

Arsenal’s Rice approached Lionel Messi, gesticulating emphatically before deliberately covering his mouth while speaking. Neither Messi nor any nearby Argentina player—including Fernandez—appeared to notice the gesture.

Miguel Almiron was the first player to be sent off for covering his mouth. (Image: Getty)

Had they brought it to the referee’s attention, Rice could have found himself in serious trouble, potentially seeing red.

VAR seemingly missed the incident as well, and it looks like the 27-year-old will avoid any retrospective ban. FIFA has yet to announce an investigation, suggesting Rice remains available for Saturday’s third-place playoff against France.

The incident comes after IFAB introduced stricter rules aimed at curbing players from covering their mouths during exchanges with opponents, a move triggered by the controversial case involving Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni.

The Benfica winger received a six-match global suspension—missing the first two World Cup games—after being found guilty of homophobic conduct.

Vinicius had accused Prestianni of racial abuse, which the youngster vehemently denied. Because Prestianni had covered his mouth, footage could not confirm his words, leaving only earwitness accounts.

Consequently, FIFA mandated that any mouth-covering during an aggressive confrontation with an opponent would result in a red card. This rule made unwanted history when Miguel Almiron became the first player sent off for the offense.

Declan Rice covered his mouth speaking to Lionel Messi. (Image: X.com)

The former Newcastle midfielder was given a straight red after VAR caught him covering his mouth while speaking to Turkey’s Mert Muldur, forcing Paraguay to play the remainder of the match with ten men—though they still managed a 1-0 victory.

In a separate incident, Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie was also shown a red card in stoppage time for hiding his mouth while talking to Mexico’s Santiago Gimenez, with his side trailing 2-0 and facing elimination. Referee Slavko Vincic missed it initially but issued the red after VAR recommended a pitchside review.

Rice isn’t the only player to escape punishment for the same action. England teammate Jude Bellingham also appeared to shield his mouth during a chat with Ghana’s Jordan Ayew in the group stage.

However, FIFA’s head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, clarified that context is key. “If it’s a friendly conversation, they can continue without issue,” Collina said in June. “But when it’s confrontational, it’s a completely different matter. Covering your mouth suggests you’re doing something potentially very wrong—it’s a deliberate act, not instinctive.”