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Haaaaave you ever seen someone get a blue card in a soccer game?
Of course you haven’t. Because that not a thing.
Until now!
Feeling Blue this morning! 🟦
“A blue card is to be introduced as part of sin-bin trials to be announced on Friday. The revolutionary move will be announced by Ifab as part of sin-bin protocols that will see players removed from the field for 10 minutes if they commit a cynical… pic.twitter.com/2mXDAEv4hu
— Stu Holden (@stuholden) February 8, 2024
The International Football Association Board, the group in charge of the game’s rules, is set to unveil the blue card on a trial basis.
Sky Sports reports that new card will be likely be announced for “trials in professional football on Friday.”
What Is A Blue Card Anyway?
What the heck is a blue card? We’re glad you asked.
A blue card will be shown to players who commit what is deemed as a “cynical foul” or dissent with a referee. A player who is shown a blue card will then be forced to leave the field for 10 minutes before returning.
So it serves as a neutral ground between a yellow card and red card. Why they did not just use an orange card we do not know.
If a player is shown multiple blue cards in a match, it will become a red card and they will be sent off. Additionally, if a player receives a blue card and a yellow card, it will also become a red card.
The system has already been tested in amateur and youth soccer in both England and Wales. But IFAB members determined in November that they should attempt to implement the rule at higher levels.
The Telegraph reports that the English Football Association will consider trialing blue cards in the FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup next season.
Most fans don’t appear happy with the potentially huge rule change.
“I might call it a day with (Liverpool manager Jurgen) Klopp at the end of the season, to be honest,” one said on Twitter.
“Referees have been famously consistent for many years, especially with VAR, so surely this won’t complicate things or create tons of double standards as to whether a yellow or blue is worthy. Not at all!😐,” wrote another. “This sport isn’t all that bad you know, we don’t need to tamper with it.”
Only time will tell whether the rule sticks. Or how high it makes it up the ladder.
But if fans had their say, it wouldn’t get very far.