Mar 02, 2024 at 3:38 PM Update: a day ago
There will be no blue card in professional football for the time being. The rules committee IFAB withdrew the plan on Saturday, perhaps under pressure from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
After a meeting in Scotland, the IFAB reports that it has adjustments ready to improve player behavior. But there is no longer a blue card at professional level, which means a player has to serve a ten-minute penalty.
“The guidelines for temporary exclusions in youth and amateur football are being improved. Before adjustments can be used at a higher level, their impact at a lower level must be analyzed.”
Infantino had already indicated on Friday that he did not support the introduction of a blue card. “FIFA is completely against the idea of a blue card. This is really not going to happen. Let’s remain serious. Every idea or proposal must be treated with respect. But you must also safeguard the essence and tradition of football.”
The IFAB did announce some new experiments. For example, referees in matches below the two highest levels of a country are given the opportunity to send both teams to their penalty area to “cool down” after heated situations.
KNVB was positive about the experiment with time penalties
At the beginning of February, English media reported that the IFAB would start testing at lower levels with a blue card. But FIFA has four of the eight votes in the IFAB and can therefore reject any proposed rule change. The other voting members are representatives of the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin previously spoke out against the introduction of the blue card. “This will be the death of football,” said the Slovenian. Several managers in the Premier League were also critical of the possible arrival of the card.
The KNVB responded positively to NU.nl about the experiments with the card. “Time penalties are one of the experiments that we have tested in the Netherlands, just like in England, in amateur football and in youth. We are pleased that there now seem to be more opportunities to experiment with new rules of the game. That is good for the football.”
