Report: Blue cards to be introduced for football sin-bin trials

The blue card is close to becoming the next revolution in football. According to an exclusive report by The Telegraph, the International Football Association Board is ready to introduce a historic change.

If a player receives a blue card during a match, his penalty will be a 10-minute suspension. The aim of this measure is to punish offenses that are less serious 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 the referees.

In fact, it pioneered France’s transformation a few months ago with a very similar proposal, albeit a white card proposal within Ligue 1.

The country’s discussion was set for the 2024-2025 season, but with the IFAB’s intervention, things could speed up in other competitions around the world.

What is a blue card in football?

In practice, a blue card for football would be similar to what happens in hockey. In this sport, players are penalized with a certain number of minutes off the ice, and the amount of time they are out is determined by the severity of the offense.

According to The Telegraph, an official announcement could come this Friday, although initial trials may not take place in top-level tournaments such as the Champions League or national leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga.

As of now, the IFAB proposal would include a 10-minute suspension for a player who commits an offence. It will be interesting to see which international competitions make the debut of this measure, but FIFA has already confirmed that it will not take place at major events.

Another topic of discussion is what happens to the hand of the cards. Early reports indicate that two blue cards or the sum of blue and yellow can even lead to a red card.

Any UEFA-related tournament appears to be out of the question, as the organisation’s president, Aleksander Čeferin, has expressed strong opposition to the blue card. Of course, the upcoming Euro, which will be held in Germany, would not take into account the new rule.