Players who deliberately cough at other players or match officials can be red-carded, say football’s rule-makers and the Football Association.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab) said such an offence fell within “using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures”.
It added: “As with all offences, the referee has to make a judgement about the true nature of the offence.”
The guidance comes amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
“If it were clearly accidental, then the referee would not take action nor if the ‘cough’ took place with a large distance between the players,” added Ifab. (BBC)