2026-04-29
11 分钟This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
If you have nothing to hide, you don't have to cover your mouth.
If you have something nice to say, you can say it openly even if there are cameras filming you.
That is Gianni Infantino.
He's the president of FIFA and he's talking about a new rule
that means that football players could get sent off the pitch for covering their mouths.
The referees may show as well a red card, and this will happen in FIFA competitions
if a player covers his or her mouth to insult another player.
Now this rule has been brought in to try to stop threats and abuse in this year's World Cup
And it's for when players are confronting opponents.
But there are loads of questions about how it'll work in practice.
So today we're going to be talking about the abuse that some footballers face
and what's being done to tackle it.
I'm Hannah and this is What in the World from the BBC World Service.
We're going to get into this now with Sam Harris, who is a BBC sports reporter.
Hey Sam! Hey, how are you? Yeah, really good thanks.
So we have been seeing players covering their mouths with their hands or their shirts on the pitch for years.
Why do they do it?
Like you say, this has happened for years and players have always tried to protect themselves privately.
They cover their mouths after the match. I'm sure loads of people have seen this.