The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that makes the rules of the game, has signed off on the introduction of blue card, also known as “sin bin card“.
A blue card is set to be introduced into professional football which will see players removed from the field for 10 minutes.
Blue card in football is a proposed penalty that would send a player to a sin bin for 10 minutes for offences such as dissent or tactical fouls.
It is currently being trialed by IFAB.
The blue card would be the first new card to be introduced in football since the yellow and red cards were invented in 1970.
The idea is to discourage players from breaking the rules and improve the behaviour and fair play on the pitch.
The Blue Card have been trialed in grassroots football in Wales this season.
The new protocol is set to be officially announced today, February 09, 2024.
According to the new protocol, a player will be shown a red card if he/she receives two blue cards, or a combination of yellow and blue cards.
Where it will not apply
Sin bins, however, will not be used during 2024 European Championship or next season Champions League.
UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, was quoted as saying last month that he was completely opposed to them, adding: “It’s not football anymore.”
It is understood, however, that UEFA won’t have a choice but to accept the blue card if trials lead to them being added to the laws of the game.
It is also not in use in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) going on in Cote d’Ivoire.
Sin bins have successfully been earlier deployed in Rugby.
IFAB have also reportedly approved a trial of another rugby rule that would see only team captains allowed to speak to the referee during a match.
Sin bin is expected to help reduce abuse of referees and attacks that generally don’t meet the threshold for red card.
One cited incident was the shirt-pull on England’s Bukayo Saka in the final of Euro 2020 by Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Chiellini, it could be recalled, bagged only a yellow card.
In the meantime, not everyone is in favour of the blue card.
What they say about blue card
Some critics, besides UEFA president, have argued that it would disrupt the flow of the game and make it more complicated.
The sin card is also unlikely to be used in the top-level competitions, such as the Premier League, the Champions League, or the World Cup, anytime soon.
The FA has expressed interest in testing the card in the FA Cup, but FIFA has clarified that the trials should be limited to lower levels of football.
What do you think of the blue card?
Do you think it would make football more fair and enjoyable, or more confusing and frustrating?