Footballers can be sent off if referees judge they have coughed deliberately at opponents or match officials in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, say the sport's rule-makers and England's Football Association.

A cough is the rapid expulsion of air from the lungs to clear the throat and airways of mucus, foreign particles, fluids, microbes and various irritants. According to a review carried out in 2013, the average cough lasts around 18 days. After more than eight weeks, a cough can be regarded as chronic and it…