Keith Wyness: Premier League to introduce new rule after controversy involving Arsenal star Piero Hincapie

The Premier League will introduce a version of the rule that is seeing players at the World Cup sent off for covering their mouths next season.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that Pro Ref (formerly the PGMOL) will be keen to stop what he feels has become an automatic reaction for players.

This comes after Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie was shown a straight red card for covering his mouth in stoppage time of Ecuador's defeat to Mexico in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Wyness believes that the rule will come into the Premier League, but has also called for a middle ground to be reached with the decisions.

Paraguay forward and former Newcastle United man Miguel Almiron was also previously shown a red card on the same grounds during the group stage.

FIFA have introduced the rule as an attempt to crack down on discrimination and abuse between players, and the Premier League could be about to follow suit.

Keith Wyness: New red card rule has clear 'caveat'

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the Premier League will need to find a middle ground with the rule if it is introduced for next term.

He has made it clear that he believes there is a "caveat" in the rule that could often lead to players being punished when nothing sinister has been said.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, the former boardroom man made it clear that he has a degree of sympathy for Hincapie and Almiron.

"In terms of whether it will come to the Premier League, I think there will be some sort of version of it," Wyness said.

"Now, where I have sympathy with Almiron and Hincapie to a degree, is that obviously we've no idea what they said. Putting your hand over your mouth has become almost automatic for players now. You see them at the end of games, during games. It's becoming a habit. 

"It doesn't necessarily mean that you're saying something wrong. You can't be sent off for just having a habit like that and not saying anything wrong if the referee doesn't hear you say anything wrong. 

"So if it's going to come into the Premier League, there's got to be some discussion about how you get around those sort of situations. That's my big caveat about that, and I think it needs to be explored in terms of being fair."

Ex-PGMOL chief reacts to 'severe' FIFA rule

Ex-PGMOL chief and former FIFA referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider in the aftermath of Almiron's dismissal that a percentage of players at the World Cup were likely to be "unaware" of the new rule at that stage.

The former official made it clear that the rule that has been implented by FIFA is "several," and is unfair towards the players in some aspects.

Hackett emphasised that it is difficult to immediately break a habit that has become commonplace on the pitch.

He made it clear that FIFA's current punishment is somewhat extreme, but that the players now know exactly where they stand on the issue.