Declan Rice breaks FIFA rule in Lionel Messi incident as England sent home from World Cup

Declan Rice may have been fortunate to escape punishment after breaking FIFA's new rule during England's World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina. The Three Lions slumped to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in Atlanta after Anthony Gordon's opener was cancelled out by Enzo Fernandez, and then Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to head home the winning goal.

However, it could've been a lot worse for England if Rice's actions were spotted by the officials early in the first half. The players squared up to each other after Elliot Anderson was fouled in the middle of the pitch, prompting tense conversations between them. Arsenal star Rice chose to speak to Lionel Messi, making his protestations clear before covering his mouth.

Messi didn't appear to notice what Rice had done by covering his mouth, nor did any other Argentina player present in the crowd of players including Enzo Fernandez. Had they reported it to the referee, Rice might well have landed himself in hot water and potentially received a red card.

VAR did not appear to pick up Rice's cover-up and it would appear that the 27-year-old will escape any retrospective punishment too. FIFA are yet to announce any investigation into the Gunners star, which means he is likely to be available for Saturday's third place play-off against France.

It comes after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced new rules to clamp down on players covering their mouths when speaking to opponents, following the controversial incident involving Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni. The Benfica winger was slapped with a six-match global ban, ruling him out of the first two World Cup matches, after he was found guilty of homophobic conduct.

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