SUMMARY
- The game of soccer has changed a lot over the years. To keep the game more fair and interesting, changes in rules have been made.
- A blue card has been introduced, leaving fans confused. Only red and yellow cards are popularly known about.
The game of soccer is changing its nature as time has passed on. Nowadays, players don’t play the game in the old style, and recent years have brought about numerous changes to it. This includes the behaviors of the players on the pitch as well as some technical issues. Stakeholders in world soccer are using technology and other measures to keep the sport up-to-date.
🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Blue cards will be introduced in football for sin-bins.
A player will receive a blue card for cynical fouls or dissent and he will be removed from the pitch for 10 minutes.
🗞️ @TeleFootball pic.twitter.com/TnSeE3frac
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 8, 2024
The latest development in soccer is the introduction of blue cards in the game. While red cards and yellow cards have been normal for many years, the introduction of blue cards has certainly confused a lot of soccer fans.
What is a blue card and what is it being introduced?
The game of soccer generally has seen two cards. Referees issue yellow cards for minor fouls, while serious fouls can result in a player being shown a red card and sent off. However, there exists a gap between ‘serious’ and ‘not-so-serious’ fouls. The players have used this anomaly to their benefit for some time now.
However, their privilege won’t stand for long. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the board entrusted with making laws that govern the beautiful game has come up with the idea of a ‘Blue Card’ for guilty players. According to The Telegraph, a referee could exercise the card to punish ‘cynical’ as well as ‘tactical’ fouls. The players, if shown a blue card would have to leave the pitch for 10 minutes and stay in designated ‘sin-bins.’
A tactical foul could be a foul that the referee deems too serious for a yellow card yet too mild for a red card. IFAB has introduced the blue card to bridge this exact gap. The ‘sin-bins’ is a rugby concept and has reportedly helped curb dissent at the grassroots level. IFAB has changed the color of the card from an initial orange to blue.
Giorgio Chiellini 😂
How about the tackle on Bukayo Saka?
LIVE | https://t.co/L1HOrZfW7h#EURO2020 #OptusSport pic.twitter.com/CasjpruoBJ
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) July 11, 2021
A tactical foul could be like a shirt pull to prevent an obvious goal or a cynical foul a lot far away from one’s goalpost, that derails a counterattack. The referees cannot send players off for these fouls, nor they can spare them just by exercising the yellow card.
The IFAB has also talked about introducing another new rule. This would permit only the captain of a team to talk to the referee. However, the discussions are still at a preliminary level.
Hence, the blue card has become all-important to curb dissent and tactical fouling on the pitch. Giorgio Chiellini’s infamous shirt pull on Bukayo Saka in the final of UEFA Euro 2020, makes a great case for the newly introduced card.
According to media reports, a combination of two blue cards could result in a red card for a player. Soccer players may receive similar punishment for receiving both a yellow and a blue card in one match.
The New Card might come into effect as soon as in the 24/25 season
The concerned authorities, look very eager to introduce the change. They may introduce the card as part of a testing mechanism in some European leagues from the 2024/25 season. The FA, the highest governing authority of English soccer has expressed their desire to try out the cards in the 24/25 FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup in the 24/25.
However, the card won’t feature in some elite competitions, since some are still not sold on the idea. Alexander Ceferin, President of UEFA has denounced the idea as he believes the idea of ‘sin-bins’ is not a soccer concept. Others have accused that blue card may ‘Americanize’ their beloved game.
Blue card to be trialled in between yellow and red card in football. God help up. They can’t even get their heads around what’s a yellow and red…..Why are people obsessed with fixing things that aren’t broken
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) February 8, 2024
Anybody can anticipate criticism of a new change. People tend to like the established rules of soccer untouched so that, its purity remains intact. However, the critics also need to realize that sports need to change in a positive direction to stay relevant. The changes like the blue card are only an honest attempt to modernize the game and to stop the players’ unfair means on the pitch.