Football is set to receive a blue card, in addition to the red and yellow variants. And this new addition will act as a sin-bin sign, removing players from the pitch for ten minutes after a cynical foul or for dissent against the referee. The players shown this card will be able to join the pitch once they have served the temporary suspension.
The rule is set to receive a trial before being officially implemented, but reactions haven’t been the most positive in response to it.
Blue card in football: The right decision?
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently spoke against the blue card, and cited the already poor quality of officiating in the Premier League. VAR has caused a significant amount of controversy over the past few seasons, and the addition of another aspect of refereeing will only complicate the situation further.
While the Blue card has been tried at the lower levels of the game, it will not be until 2026/27 that it enters the laws of the game and is applied to the top leagues and continental football in the world.
Since 2019/20, the blue card has been used at lower levels, primarily to combat dissent against referees. The problem of disrespecting referees has been rising at the top level as well as youth leagues. And this has been one of the main reasons behind the arrival of the blue card.
But the top competitions are far away from seeing anything other than a red or yellow shown to players in the next couple of years.
