Seeing… Blue? Football’s Blue Card Trial

If yellow and red wasn’t enough, could we possibly be seeing a new card in the future?

It’s expected to be announced today that the lawmakers of football (Ifab) are going to trial a blue card in games, which would see players receiving it sent to a “sin-bin” for 10 minutes – similar to how it works in rugby.

Due to the media attention surrounding this news, many have made an assumption this may be trialed in top divisions such as the Premier League – however, this isn’t expected to be the case; instead focusing on lower leagues to see how well it works.

The idea is to try and cut down on perceived “tactical fouls” during a counter-attack, as well as dissent. In grassroots levels the system has already been in place for a few years in an attempt to improve respect in the game as well as fair play.

Sin-bins themselves have already been trialed back in 2018/19, and across 31 leagues they found a 38% reduction in dissent, so the evidence is already there to suggest this blue card trial may hopefully bring the results they’re looking for.

There’s no further information yet as to when this trial may take place, or which leagues will be involved, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye out for in the future!

Who from the past do you think may have benefitted from the blue card being in the game? Check out our range of Football Icons – from those who played fair to those who played dirty!

Ashley