"Thieves." That's what Jorge Chipi Vera called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the referee on live television during Paraguay's 1-0 win over Turkey. Now his World Cup is over before it really started.
Vera, a commentator for ABC Cardinal and ABC TV, lost the plot in first-half stoppage time when Miguel Almiron became the first player sent off at this tournament for covering his mouth during an on-field confrontation — a new FIFA rule that has already proven deeply unpopular. Almiron said something to Turkey's Mert Muldur with his hand over his mouth, the referee saw it, and that was that. Paraguay down to ten men. Vera down to zero composure.
What he said — and what it cost him
The expletive-laden tirade that followed accused FIFA of "killing football." Strong words on any platform. On live TV, at a World Cup, they carry consequences.
FIFA moved quickly. Vera's credentials were cancelled, locking him out of stadiums and any official World Cup coverage entirely — inside venues or outside them. He confirmed it himself on X late Monday.
To his credit, he didn't try to spin it. His apology was direct: "I used offensive and unacceptable expressions against the referee, FIFA, and its authorities." He also acknowledged that frustration over a refereeing call — however justified it might feel — doesn't excuse the outburst. "Questioning a rule or disagreeing with a refereeing decision never justifies losing control the way I did," he wrote. He's even sent a formal letter of apology to FIFA.
The rule at the centre of it all
The mouth-covering ban is genuinely contentious. FIFA introduced it to prevent players from making comments that go undetected by officials, but enforcing it with a red card — especially in a knockout-stage context — was always going to cause flashpoints. Almiron's dismissal is the proof. Paraguay held on for the win, but the optics of a player being sent off for covering his mouth remain awkward for a governing body not exactly short on critics right now.
Vera lost his accreditation. Almiron lost his place on the pitch. Paraguay still got the three points — but the story of their win has been almost entirely buried by the controversy surrounding how it was played.
