Declan Rice Avoids FIFA Punishment in Messi Incident at World Cup

Declan Rice was fortunate to avoid punishment after a brief incident with Lionel Messi during England's World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina.

What happened?

The players squared up to each other after Elliot Anderson was fouled in the middle of the pitch, prompting tense conversations between them. Rice chose to speak to Messi, making his protestations clear before covering his mouth. However, Messi didn't appear to notice what Rice had done, nor did any other Argentina player present in the crowd of players.

Why it matters for Declan Rice

Rice's actions could have landed him in hot water and potentially resulted in a red card. However, VAR did not appear to pick up Rice's cover-up, and it would seem that the 27-year-old will escape any retrospective punishment. This comes after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced new rules to clamp down on players covering their mouths when speaking to opponents.

What comes next?

Rice is likely to be available for Saturday's third-place play-off against France. The incident highlights the importance of adhering to FIFA's new rules, which aim to reduce aggressive behavior on the pitch. Rice's narrow escape serves as a reminder of the consequences of breaking these rules.

FIFA's new rules were introduced following the controversial incident involving Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius Junior was slapped with a six-match global ban after he was found guilty of homophobic conduct. The Benfica winger had covered his mouth, making it impossible to review the footage and discover what he actually said.

The new rules state that any covering of the mouth, coupled with an aggressive confrontation with an opponent, will result in a red card being shown. Miguel Almiron became the first player to be sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, and Piero Hincapie was also given a red card for hiding his mouth as he spoke to Mexico's Santiago Gimenez in stoppage time.

Rice's actions, although not reported by the officials, demonstrate the importance of adhering to these new rules. The England star's narrow escape serves as a reminder of the consequences of breaking these rules, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in the third-place play-off against France.

The World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina was a heartbreaking 2-1 loss for England. Anthony Gordon's opener was cancelled out by Enzo Fernandez, and then Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to head home the winning goal. The defeat marked the end of England's World Cup campaign, but Rice's narrow escape from punishment will be a topic of discussion in the football world.

**This article was written by a sports news editor for a site exclusively about Declan Rice, the football athlete from England.**