Football Players Who Cough on Purpose Can Get Red Card

A Premier League match played to an empty stadium during the CCP virus pandemic between Newcastle United and Liverpool FC at St. James Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on July 26, 2020. Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Under new guidelines, players who deliberately cough at each other, at referees, or at other match officials can now get the red card and be sent off.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) and Football Association (FA) guidelines come amid concerns about potential on- and off-pitch transmission of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.