More than it is an exhibition of football, the World Cup is a drama of understanding. At this year’s installment of the Greatest Show on Earth™, FIFA has debuted a bewildering number of regulatory innovations. Among the most consequential are the introduction of on-field microphones for referees to announce the outcome of video-assisted reviews, and a new rule stating that any player who covers his mouth during a “confrontational situation” with an opponent will automatically be dealt a red card. Together, these two changes elevate clarity of speech into an iron edict of world football, and tar concealment—of words, of intentions, of interpretations—with the sport’s darkest brush.…