Caicedo 'victim' of FIFA's new policy: forced to leave 1 minute after medics were called
In the match of Côte d'Ivoire against Ecuador that ended 1-0 for the African team, FIFA's new rule for the World Cup 2026 was implemented: after the medics entered, the player was obliged to come out for at least one minute.
One of FIFA's new rules for the 2026 World Cup was immediately tested in the match between Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador, which ended 1-0 for the African side. In the 20th minute, after a collision with Wilfried Singo, Moises Caicedo fell down in his own area. François Letexier, the French referee, stopped the game and allowed Ecuador's medics to enter.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://tmw-storage.tcccdn.com/storage/tuttomercatoweb.com/img_notizie/thumb3/d1/d192686fa6fd8e1ff5747586e69c3c8f-03774-oooz0000.jpeg" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Realizing the situation, Caicedo quickly stood up and signaled that he could continue without treatment. However, the official strictly enforced the new rule: any player who caused a delay for medical attention had to leave the pitch for at least one minute, temporarily leaving his team undermanned. Caicedo's annoyance was clearly visible on camera as he appealed to the officials before he was allowed back into the game after the allotted time.
Caicedo was not the only one affected. At the end of the match, the same measure was applied to Joel Ordóñez. The clash ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of Côte d'Ivoire, while the new policy remains at the center of the conversation which will surely be part of the discussion as the World Cup 2026 approaches.
