İngiltere vs Gana

A viral comparison claimed England's Bellingham should have been sent off like Turkey's Mert Müldür, since both appeared to cover their mouths near an opponent — and one saw red while the other got nothing. But the comparison collapses under the wide-angle footage. The 2026 cover-mouth norm only triggers when a player covers their mouth DURING a confrontation with an opponent. Müldür's incident was a genuine confrontation, correctly punished with red. Bellingham's was not: the full photo shows him with his arm around the Ghana captain's back, the Ghana player's hand resting calmly on his chest, both faces relaxed, in what reporting described as an exchange of "unclear" but plainly non-hostile nature. No confrontation means the rule never triggers, regardless of hand position. The referee correctly issued no card. The apparent inconsistency exists only in the cropped tweet image, not on the pitch — the rule was applied consistently in both cases. CORRECT NO-CALL, HIGH confidence.