Will the blue card, synonymous with temporary exclusion, see the light of day?

The blue card, synonymous with temporary exclusion, is imagined as a tool to guarantee respect for refereeing decisions and improve player behavior.

Soon a blue card in the pocket of football referees? This is what the International Football Association Board (Ifab) would like to test, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph (in English), Thursday February 8. Fifa, however, is not ready to see it become more democratic any time soon and calms things down in a press release: no tests will be carried out this year in professional competitions.

FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called ‘blue card’ at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature.

Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a responsible manner at lower levels, a position that FIFA intends to reiterate when this…

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) February 8, 2024

The purpose of the blue card is to sanction anti-playing faults or aggressive behavior with a temporary exclusion from the field of 10 minutes. Combined with a yellow card, it then has the same effect as the red card and excludes the player until the end of the match.

This new tool is seen by its supporters as a means of dissuasion so that refereeing decisions are better respected, to improve the behavior of players and, in turn, that of spectators. Already used in English amateur football, a French version also exists, the white card, with the same effects.

Synonym of “death” for football

The integration of temporary exclusions in football, as is already done in rugby, is far from unanimous. For former PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, this new rule would further complicate the task of referees with additional actions to interpret. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin goes further and sees in these exclusions the “dead” soccer. On the player side, former English midfielder Paul Merson believes, taking the example of the English championship, that, when we “play to win”, “there are going to be strong emotions, that’s how it is”.

But the blue card represents a real issue in the world of football, to prevent referees from throwing in the towel – or the whistle – because they are disrespected on the pitch.