Football lawmakers toy with blue cards
According to The Guardian, the blue card would mean the player would be out of the field – sent to the ‘sin bin’ - for 10 minutes. If the player receives another blue or yellow card in the same game, it will result in a red card.
According to The Guardian, the blue card would mean the player would be out of the field – sent to the ‘sin bin’ - for 10 minutes.
ZURICH: Soccer’s rule-making panel will discuss punishing certain fouls by sending players off the field for a set period of time — like it is done in some other sports — with referees issuing blue cards.
FIFA said on Thursday that any such trials would only take place at the lower levels of the sport and that the topic would be discussed early next month at the annual meeting of the International Football Association Board.
According to The Guardian, the blue card would mean the player would be out of the field – sent to the ‘sin bin’ - for 10 minutes. If the player receives another blue or yellow card in the same game, it will result in a red card.
Sin bins were introduced across all levels of grassroots soccer in the 2019-20 season in a bid to reduce excessive dissent to referees’ decisions and increase fair play. British media reports on Thursday said use of the sin bins could be extended to include tactical fouls — like when a player takes down an opponent to stop a counterattack.
There are many backers for the idea of temporary suspension, which is already in place in ice hockey, rugby, and basketball. Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association (FA), is one of them. However, there are many prominent opponents as well, including UEFA president Alexander Ceferin and Tottenham Hotspurs manager Ange Postecoglou.
In any case, the new card is unlikely to mark its debut in topflight football, like English Premier League, LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League, Euro 2024 or the Copa America.
“Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a responsible manner at lower levels, a position that FIFA intends to reiterate when this agenda item is discussed at the IFAB (annual general meeting) on 2 March,” FIFA said in a statement on X.
