The International Football Association Board is expected to publish ‘detailed protocols’ for the institution of “sin-bins” in football, according to Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol.
Yep, blue cards could be coming to a pitch near you, as dissent and cynical fouls could both earn a player 10 minutes off the pitch not unlike penalty boxes in ice hockey.
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Solhekol says that two blue cards or the combination of a blue card and a yellow card would work the same as two yellow cards and see the player dismissed from the game without replacement.
Blue card fouls have been trialed at youth and amateur levels across England and there are claims that they’ve significantly reduced the amount of dissent fouls in games.
Another report, from The Times, says that the trials could come in the FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup as early as next season but FIFA says the implementation of this idea at ‘elite levels’ is not yet expected.
FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called 'blue card' at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature.
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) February 8, 2024
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…
How could a blue card influence the game?
Let’s start here: 10 minutes away from the game is worse than a yellow card and would certainly underline the desire to get berratement of referees, ugly fouls, and unnecessary stoppages in play out of the game.
There’s no question that managers would be clear with players from almost Moment No. 1 of preseason that speaking disrespectfully to referees would harm the side more than a standard yellow card.
It wouldn’t render the yellow card moot, but it would seem likely that blue cards would occur just as often as yellows: Currently, yellow cards are given for unsporting behavior, dissent, persistent infringement, and several versions of delaying play.
This is still far from the big competitions, and how the trials go will determine next steps (if any).
Mauricio Pochettino: Blue cards “not a good idea”
It is going to create more debate, be more complicated for the referees, the players and the fans.
My feeling now is it’s not a good idea, but we will see what happens. We need to have an opportunity to see how it works and after, we will have a better idea of how they are going to apply it.
But my first feeling is it’s so complicated to add another color, another card to the game because there are too many question marks.