Blue cards in soccer?
Blue cards in soccer? If a player receives a blue card during the match, their punishment will be a 10-minute suspension. The objective of this measure is to penalize offenses that are less severe than a red card but still have a significant impact on the course of the game, such as deliberately feigning fouls to waste time or insulting referees.
Lots of backlash
The introduction of a blue card into football has been thrown into doubt amid a growing backlash against the move. As revealed by Telegraph Sport, an announcement had been planned on Friday for the game’s first new card for more than half a century as part of sin-bin trials at professional level.
But following an extraordinary reaction to the news – including from within football’s corridors of power – those announcement plans have been blocked.
Unrest within the game was underlined on Thursday night by a statement from FIFA which confirmed the disclosure by the Telegraph that initial sin-bin trials would not include top-tier competitions.
More discussion needed
It was stated that the potential introduction of a blue card in any capacity would be deliberated at the upcoming annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which includes FIFA and the four home associations. In November, IFAB, the governing body responsible for making changes to the rules of the sport, approved the implementation of sin-bin trials at the professional level during its annual business meeting.
The specific guidelines for these trials were supposed to be announced on Friday, but the delay may necessitate further adjustments. Additionally, FIFA’s decision to state an IFAB issue raises questions about which organization is truly responsible for altering the laws of the game.
Jurgen Klopp on blue cards being introduced:
“We should keep it as simple as possible for referees. It just makes it more complicated. I have no problem with testing, but doesn’t sound like a fantastic idea.” pic.twitter.com/NxtftY0tBb
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) February 9, 2024
‘Yellow cards just need to be applied right’
On Friday Eddie Howe became the first Premier League manager to oppose the introduction of a blue card to football by warning it would “just add more confusion”.
The Newcastle United manager said: “I’m not a big fan, to be honest; that’s what yellow cards are for. The current system works well; it just has to be applied right. Adding a blue card would just add more confusion in my opinion so I’m against it.”
Howe joined former Premier League stars Chris Sutton and Jamie O’Hara in voicing his opposition to the move.
Sutton posted on X: “Well done IFAB for complicating the game even more and prioritizing a blue card over the outdated head injury protocol which doesn’t put players first…”
O’Hara, meanwhile, wrote: “The game has absolutely gone.”