FIFA Clarifies Reports on Blue Cards: Essential Information
Are you ready for blue cards?
The use of blue cards and sin bins in football will be explored, though FIFA has hit out at ‘incorrect and premature’ reports regarding their immediate use in elite competition. On Thursday, reports emerged that the International Football Association Board (Ifab) had signed off on the trials, with an official announcement due on Friday. It would be the first time since the introduction of the classic yellow and red cards at the 1970 World Cup that a new card would be used in the sport.
FIFA clarifies its intentions
However, following an immediate backlash to the plans, FIFA has released a statement clarifying their intentions and playing down the likelihood of seeing them introduced in elite football any time soon. ‘FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called ‘blue card’ at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature,’ read the statement. ‘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 AGM on 2 March.’
What do blue cards mean in football?
Similar to rugby, players shown a blue card will be removed from the pitch for 10 minutes. They will be handed out if they show dissent towards a match official or commit a cynical foul that prevents a promising attack, for example Giorgio Chiellini’s infamous shirt-pull on Bukayo Saka during the Euro 2020 final. Should a player receive two blue cards or a combination of blue and yellow, they will be shown a red card and sent off for good.
Will they be used in the Premier League?
No, or at least not yet. Back in November, Ifab, whose board includes Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham, agreed that sin bins would be trialled in elite competitions like the Premier League. However, top-tier competitions will not be used for the initial trial stage but if they prove successful they could be included later on down the line.
What leagues will they be used in?
Sin bins have already been used at grassroots and youth level, and have been successful at cutting down on dissent – something that has become a bigger issue at the very top of the game. The FA is considering whether to use next season’s FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup for testing purposes – though that now seems unlikely given FIFA’s statement. The Football Association of Wales had planned to trial blue cards this season, but failed to obtain clearance to do so, so any players sent to the sin bin have been shown a yellow card instead.
Why are they blue?
Pretty simple: while orange would be the appropriate choice, blue was chosen in order to differentiate the sin bin cards more clearly from a yellow or red card.
In conclusion,
While there has been recent speculation about the introduction of blue cards and sin bins in football, FIFA has clarified that these reports are premature and incorrect. The use of blue cards will not be seen in elite football anytime soon, according to FIFA’s statement. However, trials at lower levels may still take place. Blue cards would result in a player being removed from the pitch for 10 minutes, similar to rugby’s sin bin rule. The Premier League will not be part of the initial trial stage, but there is a possibility of inclusion in the future if the trials prove successful. Sin bins have already been utilized at grassroots and youth levels, contributing to a reduction in dissent. The FA had considered testing blue cards in next season’s FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup, but plans may change following FIFA’s clarification. The color blue was chosen to distinguish the sin bin cards from yellow and red cards. As football continues to evolve, it remains to be seen if blue cards will become a permanent addition to the game.