Mikael Silvestre, former French international and one of the 16 members of FIFA's Player Voice Panel, confirmed that the possibility of players being punished in the future for speaking to opponents with their mouths covered is being discussed, following what Prestianni did to Vinícius Júnior in the Benfica – Real Madrid match on Tuesday. The former player explained to Sky Sports that this discussion is necessary because, in his opinion, "there was clearly hatred" in the exchange between the Argentine and the Brazilian: "The Whats App group of our Panel has been very active as we try to find ways to sanction players who speak with their mouths covered. One thing is if you are talking about tactics with teammates or having a casual discussion, but there was clearly hatred between the players, especially from one to the other, and perhaps we need to punish this type of behavior. Whether you cover your mouth with your hands or with your shirt, as he [Prestianni] did. However, Silvestre explains that the possibility of sanctioning this type of behavior 'takes time': 'We also need to see with the referees what they can or cannot do on the field. It's a work in progress.' In this particular case, the former Manchester United, Inter, and Arsenal player explains that although 'there are some witnesses, like Kylian Mbappé who said he heard what the player said,' it will be difficult to apply concrete sanctions. 'It's complicated for the referee to have evidence of what happened for the investigation to be swift, because the second leg is in seven days, and if anything is proven in the meantime, the player should not play and should face a significant suspension.' The Player Voice Panel was created by FIFA last year with 16 former players 'from diverse ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, covering the six confederations, to monitor and advise on the implementation of initiatives and actions taken in the global stance against racism,' as explained by the governing body of world football itself. In addition to Silvestre, George Weah, Didier Drogba, Formiga, and Blaise Matuidi are other former athletes who make up the panel.
Mikael Silvestre Benfica remains central to this story.
Mikael Silvestre Benfica remains central to this story.
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