While images showed Bellingham covering his mouth during a chat with Ayew, context is everything in the eyes of the officials. Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s head of referees, clarified before the tournament that the act itself isn’t banned, only the act of doing so during a heated confrontation. “Players can continue to cover their mouth with an arm and the shirt because they may chat with friends,” Collina explained. “So if the conversation is a friendly conversation, they can continue to do it without any problem.”
In the case of the Real Madrid midfielder and Ayew, there was no detectable animosity between the two players. It was viewed as a standard tactical discussion or friendly chat. Unlike the recent dismissal of Miguel Almiron, who used the gesture during a heated melee, Bellingham’s actions did not meet the confrontational threshold required for VAR to intervene.
