Piero Hincapie was shown a red card during Ecuador’s defeat to Mexico at the World Cup, as they crashed out the tournament in dramatic fashion, missing out on a potential showdown with England
Piero Hincapie is shown a red card during Ecuador’s defeat to Mexico(Image: ITV)
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie has become the second player at the World Cup to be sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent.
The Ecuador centre-back was shown a red card after confronting Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez during their round of 32 fixture in the tournament. Mexico went on to claim a 2-0 victory over Ecuador in Mexico City to set up a last-16 tie against either England or DR Congo, which will be played late on Monday morning at 1am (UK time) in the same stadium.
Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored the goals for Mexico to send them through to the next round, but it was in stoppage time that drama unfolded at the Estadio Azteca.
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Hincapie could be seen approaching Gimenez and appeared to cover his mouth with his hand while he spoke to the Mexico striker.
Gimenez then immediately alerted referee Slavko Vincic, who went on to check the incident through the VAR’s pitchside monitor.
A brief check resulted in Vincic issuing Hincapie with a red card, with the Arsenal defender becoming only the second player at this year’s tournament to be sent off under the new rule.
Former Newcastle United star Miguel Almiron became the first player to be sent off under the new rules at this year’s World Cup, after he was shown a red card during Paraguay’s win over Turkiye during the group stages.
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Hincapie’s red card has led to plenty of reaction on social media, with many fans expressing their confusion around the Arsenal defender’s actions.
One fan on X said: “Keep your hands away from your mouth!” Another added: “So stupid from Hincapie.” And a third put: “When Almiron did it…you MIGHT get some grace, because the rule is new. Hincapie has 0 excuse.”
Former Premier League star Jobi McAnuff gave his verdict on Hincapie’s red card and why he’s in favour of the new law that has been introduced by FIFA for this World Cup.
“I’m all for this rule,” McAnuff said on ITV. “At the end of the day, if you’re covering your mouth, you’re clearly saying something that you shouldn’t be saying.
“We’ve had instances where there’s alleged racism involved, and we just don’t know.
“So it’s a very clear instruction, the players obviously all know about it. You can’t do it.
“Clearly he’s [Hincapie] obviously saying something that he feels he doesn’t want to be seen to be saying, which is why he’s covered his mouth.”
Hincapie had previously played a key role for Ecuador’s run to reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup, particularly in their 2-1 win over Germany in their final group stage fixture, which secured their spot in the round of 32.
The Arsenal defender and his teammates will now return home following their exit from the World Cup, with Hincapie now expected to have a break before returning to pre-season duties with the Gunners.
Hincapie only recently completed a permanent move to Arsenal, having spent last season on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. The move included an option to make the deal permanent for a fee believed to be worth around £34.5million, which has officially been activated.
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