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The new cards will see sin-bins introduced as players will be sent off the pitch for 10 minutes for cynical fouls or dissent. The International Football Association Board is expected to explain the sin-bin rules in the professional game on Friday.
The FA will consider a trial of blue cards for the FA Cup next season and the Women’s FA Cup. Trials have already been carried out in both amateur and pro-youth football in England and Wales last season which has determined the need for them in higher leagues.
However, FIFA has branded the idea for blue cards in higher leagues as too soon as more trials should be carried out at lower levels first.
Sin-bins will not be used at the Euros this summer however and neither in the Champions League next season as Uefa President, Aleksander Ceferin, has opposed the idea and says “It’s not football anymore.”
Referee, Lauren Cole, tells me how she thinks the introduction of the blue cards in the sport is not a good idea. She says “Not every referee has the same mindset and opinion when it comes to careless, reckless, and excessive force tackles and offenses so it doesn’t seem likely to work.
“The introduction of VAR is fairly new and was put in place to try and make the game more fair and help with decisions like this.
“For me, if a player shows dissent through words or actions a card will always be shown, under no circumstances would I warn a player to watch their mouth, therefore blue cards wouldn’t work for me under that circumstance.
“When it comes to tactical fouls that are on the borderline of a warning and a yellow card then I can see a blue card being shown. Theoretically, this would slow the game down and would result in it not being as aggressive or fun to watch or officiate in.
“Overall I don’t believe the introduction of blue cards will be good for the sport especially not now as the laws have only recently been tweaked in order to try and cut down on the number of time-wasting and dissent offences.”
Rules expected to be published will state how if a player returns from a sin-bin and is issued another blue card the player would be sent off for good while a blue card and a yellow card would also make a red card.
Michael Cole, a boys club coach in Scotland, says “Blue cards in football won’t work and I’m sure my opinion will be the same as other coaches of all levels.
“There are yellow and red cards for a reason. If something is reckless then a yellow card should be awarded, same with dissent.
“The only thing blue cards will do is make the game more complicated, and confusing and lead to more referee abuse and therefore more fines and disciplinary meetings for coaches.”
Goalkeepers would not be exempt from sin-bins in the game, with no temporary keeper allowed to take their place.
Instead, an outfield player would need to go into goal until the keeper returns to the field, or a permanent keeper would need to be subbed on whilst an outfield player is subbed off, as the sin-binned keeper cannot be substituted until his 10 minutes are done.
No formal explanation for the delay in the publishing of the proposed plans has been given, although it is expected it is due to the backlash received.
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