In the first two matches of the 2026 World Cup, the Paraguayan team was one of those that most experienced the new rules imposed by Ifab (International Football Association Board), a body linked to FIFA (International Football Federation), in April this year.
According to football’s highest governing body, the new features seek to “optimize the pace of matches and reduce the loss of time”.
But for Paraguayan fans, after two matches at the World Cup, it is looking like persecution, due to the different incidents involving their players.
The sequence sparked jokes on social media. Fans who see their team as an involuntary refereeing laboratory. Some wonder how informed the alvirrubra team is about the new rules.
The doubts fall especially on number 10, Almirón, who was the character of two of the main rules.
In the debut match, against the United States, there was a VAR (video referee) review due to an error by the field referee, which ended with a yellow card for Almirón for simulating a foul. The card had been given to the American Ream.
On Friday (19), in the 1-0 victory over Turkey, Almirón was sent off directly for covering his mouth when speaking to Turkish full-back Müldür during a stoppage in the game.
It was the first time that such a sanction was applied at the World Cup. FIFA’s new rule is known as the Vinicius Junior Law, created after a case of racism suffered by the Brazilian striker in Spain.
The rule is adopted in Brazil and abroad and also sanctions anyone who has racist or discriminatory conduct by anyone on the field with a red card. With that, Salvadoran referee Iván Barton applied the card and left the South American team with one less.
Before that, the Paraguayan team had already had a goal kick kick reversed, which was punished with a corner kick against, and saw its players disconcerted by having to temporarily leave the field after receiving medical attention.
Fans also remember that in the French Cup, in 1998, Paraguay was the first team eliminated by a “golden goal” (whoever scores the goal wins the game) in a World Cup, when Frenchman Laurent Blanc scored in extra time, in the round of 16.
After the duel with Turkey, coach Gustavo Alfaro, from Paraguay, complained about the new rules, which he called a “new sport”.
“It’s difficult to play this new sport. Sometimes certain circumstances are led more towards one side than the other, and what we want is justice”, declared the commander to the press in his country.
“The entire decalogue of the new regulations fell upon us”, he pointed out, alluding to the situations that occurred during the match against Turkey.
The coach, however, concluded by stating that there was no other option but to accept the news. “Move on and prepare for the next game, which will be much more difficult than this one.”
On Thursday (25), Paraguay’s rival in Group D will be Australia, who, like their opponent, won one game and lost another in this World Cup.
With AFP
