Hincapie Sent Off Due to "Norma Prestianni"
July 1, 2026 · Global
Piero Hincapie, defender of the Ecuador national team, was sent off against Mexico for covering his mouth while talking to Santiago Gimenez, in accordance with a new rule known as the 'Prestianni norm'. This marks the end of Ecuador's journey in the 2026 World Cup.
Ecuador national team defender Piero Hincapie became the second player to be sent off as a result of new rules introduced after the Benfica player incident. Ecuador was forced to end their journey at the 2026 World Cup after losing 0-2 to Mexico, which also marked the end of their collaboration with coach Sebastian Beccacece. In the match that took place on the Italian evening, a second incident related to expulsions due to comments spoken while covering the mouth occurred. This rule has been in the spotlight of many people, and is called the 'Prestianni norm', inspired by an incident involving a Benfica player who allegedly uttered homophobic remarks towards Vinicius, while covering his mouth so that the cameras could not see it. It should be noted that similar incidents are not punished if they occur in a friendly context; Jude Bellingham was not thrown out in the same situation as he was talking intimately with his friend while covering his mouth. However, in the 95th minute of the match against Mexico, Hincapie was sent off by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic after being seen talking to Milan striker Santiago Gimenez while covering his mouth. Hincapie became the second player to be sent off for the offence, after Paraguay's Miguel Almiron became the first.