White cards, green cards… and now blue! Football is no stranger to bizarre rule changes – but now rule-makers will push to make it wide-spread, even if managers are not convinced
Football is about to undergo a seismic rule change with the introduction of a blue card and 10-minute sin bins.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced that referees will have the power to send players to the sin bin for dissent against officials and cynical fouls.
A trial could be held in next season’s FA Cup, with players warned that two blue card infringements, or a combination of yellow and blue, would amount to a red card and dismissal.
If the trial goes well, we can roll out the new map to all levels of the game in the future.
We already know that referees can issue a yellow card as a warning to a player for various offenses, such as an overzealous tackle, wasting time or dissent.
Blue cards and 10-minute sin bins for dissent and cynical fouls will be tried in football
The new penalty would mean a brief numerical disadvantage for the offending team
Two yellow cards obviously equate to a red card, which means the player must leave the field. Outright red cards are also issued for particularly serious offences.
But we have also seen other colored cards used in football in the past, even before the introduction of the new blue one.
THE WHITE CARD
This was part of an initiative launched in Portugal last year to recognize and encourage fair play and aimed to ‘improve the ethical value in sport’.
The aim was to encourage greater sportsmanship and provide immediate recognition of positive actions.
While former UEFA president Michel Platini had previously called for the introduction of a white card and a sin bin as punishment for dissent (as is now happening), Portugal’s white card was very different.
The first white card was shown by referee Catarina Campos during a Women’s Cup match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica in January 2023.
After someone in the duo became ill, medical personnel from both sides quickly came to their aid. Campos showed the white card to those involved and was warmly received by the Estadio da Luz crowd.
Last year, a white card was introduced in Portugal to reward acts of good sportsmanship
It came after someone in the dugout became ill, with medical staff from both teams helping them
The referee waved it in recognition of their sportsmanship during the match
It was then used again nine months later in a Portuguese men’s fifth division match. An attacker had a golden opportunity to score when a defender gave the ball away injured.
The attacker quickly realized his opponent was injured and kicked the ball out so it could be dealt with instead of scoring.
The sporting gesture was applauded by the fans present and the referee recognized the good sportsmanship with a white card.
Last year, a player was also white carded in a Portuguese fifth division match after kicking the ball out of play during a pass through on goal due to a serious injury to an opponent.
THE GREEN CARD
We saw the green card introduced at the 2018 CONIFA World Cup – a competition for non-FIFA affiliated international teams – held in London.
The green card was introduced as a concept by tournament sponsors Paddy Power and when it was issued to a player for dissent or diving, the offender had to be replaced immediately.
During the Group C match between Padania and Tuvalu at Coles Park, Haringey saw referee Raymond Mashamba hand out a green card twice within minutes.
The first was shown to a Tuvalu midfielder and the second to Stefano Baldan from Padania. However, the Tuvalu player stayed on because all his substitutions had already been used.
Tournament organizer Paul Watson said this Air sports at the time: ‘We would really like to tackle the problem of dissent. Football has a problem with the lack of respect for referees.
‘That’s not to say this isn’t also the case at CONIFA games; the players in our tournament still have those qualities.
During the 2018 CONIFA World Cup in London, green cards were used for dissent or diving
According to the rules of the tournament, a player who received the green card had to be replaced
“But it would be nice if, instead of being ignored and therefore tolerated in a way, it wouldn’t necessarily cost someone their chance to play in this tournament if they just lost their cool.”
Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who officiated three matches during the tournament, supported the concept.
“It means players are fired for dissent or diving, forcing their team to replace them. I think FIFA should absolutely follow suit. It will address two major issues in our game,” he said.
Italy’s Serie B launched a ‘symbolic’ green card during the 2015/2016 season as a positive measure in an effort to promote fair play.
Players could earn one by taking the ball out of play when someone was injured, assisting the referee or admitting to diving in the penalty area.