Forget the familiar yellow and red cards that punctuate the drama of a football match. The beautiful game is embracing a new hue: the Green card.This innovative tool is making its debut at the FIFA U20 World Cup Chile 2025, running from September 27 to October 19, promising a more transparent and potentially fairer officiating experience for players and fans alike.

The inaugural use of this groundbreaking card occurred on Sunday, september 28, during Morocco’s 2-0 victory over spain. In a pivotal moment, Moroccan coach Mohamed Ouahbi challenged a penalty call against his team. After the referee consulted the incident replay, Ouahbi’s protest was validated, and the penalty was rescinded. This instance perfectly illustrates the intended purpose of the Green Card.

Beyond Discipline: Introducing Football Video Support (FVS)

Unlike its disciplinary counterparts, the Green Card isn’t about punishment. Instead, it’s the trigger for Football Video Support (FVS), a system designed as an choice to the widely recognized Video Assistant Referee (VAR). FVS is particularly valuable for tournaments and organizations where the extensive infrastructure and resources required for VAR might not be feasible.

The core function of FVS mirrors that of VAR: to intervene only in cases of “clear and obvious errors”. These critical errors typically involve goals, penalty decisions, red cards, or mistaken identity. The goal is to correct egregious mistakes that could unfairly impact the outcome of a match, much like a seasoned umpire in baseball overturning a close call after reviewing instant replay.

How the Green Card and FVS System Works

The process is straightforward yet impactful. Once a referee makes a decision, the opposing team’s coach has the option to challenge it by presenting the Green card to the match officials. This action prompts the referee to review the incident on a monitor, similar to the VAR protocol. The referee will then watch a replay of the play in question before making a final determination.

Coaches are granted two review opportunities per game. A crucial aspect of this system is that if a coach’s challenge is successful – meaning the original decision is overturned – the team that initiated the review does not lose one of their opportunities. This encourages coaches to utilize the system when they genuinely believe an error has occurred, fostering a more collaborative approach to officiating.

A Precedent for Innovation

This isn’t FIFA’s first foray into testing innovative officiating technologies. The FVS system, with its Green Card mechanism, has previously been trialed in other significant youth tournaments.notably, it was