EXPLAINED: What is blue card rule to be introduced in football and how will it work?

Football could be set for a major change in the coming days after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced on Friday (Feb 8) the introduction of blue cards. The IFAB, football’s lawmakers body will trail the new concept which has been in use at the grassroots level for dissent but could be extended to cynical fouls. While a similar concept is already used in hockey as part of the sin-bin, here we decode how the blue cards will be used and what effect it could have on the current system.

How current system works

Currently, using a two-colour card system, the severity of the foul or breach of code or foul determines the colour of the card. A player receives a yellow card for dissent non-serious fouls or breaking the flow of play when the opposition team is in control of play. There can be several other incidents where the referee can book a player with a yellow cardlike removing a T-shirt without permission or excess celebration after goal. However, upon receiving a yellow card a player still stays on the field.

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A red card is usually issued when a player is deemed to have made a serious injury-causing foul or denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. A player can also receive a red card if he or she has been deemed of violent conduct like spitting at an opposition player or physically abusing a player, fan or ball boy.

A red card is also issued if he or she receives a second yellow card in the same match. The referees also have the right to show red cards if they feel of more serious cases other than the ones mentioned above. Upon receiving the red card the concerned player has to leave the field and is not part of the bench anymore and not allowed to sit in the team dugout.

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What are blue cards and how will they work?

Cautions are served in football for serious fouls or breaches of the code of player conduct or serious foul play and the punishment of the same is directed by the nature of the card shown. However, incidents that are serious but not in the territory of second yellow cards (resulting in a red card) or a player who shows dissent on the field could be issued a blue card.

This will result in the player serving a 10-minute suspension and will return to the field post serving punishment. Currently, this system is similar to the sin-bin in hockey where players receive green, yellow and red cards and serve timeout of two, five and ten minutes respectively.

Effects of the blue cardintroduction

As things stand, red cards remain the highest order of punishment which results in a one, three or more match suspension for the player. Yellow cards remain the second-highest order of punishment and could result in a ban for the player after picking up several during the course of the season. Blue cards are likely to replace yellow cards as the second-highest order of punishment as the player is temporarily sent off rather than being on the field despite receiving a card.

Sinceblue cards (sin-bin) were introduced partially in 2018, Football Association (FA) has reported a total of 38 per cent reduction in dissent cases. If this is the same, player’s discipline on the field towards officials and opposition players is expected to improve.

It is also expected that more cynical tackles that are not in range of red cards but more serious thanyellow card offences could result in blue cards. This will also help the player avoid a three-match ban for a serious foul. However, being a more serious case than a yellow card, a player could still end up serving a ban after picking a blue card.

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When could blue cards be introduced?

Still, under trial, the blue cards will only be implemented when there is a good response with less criticism of the system. IFAB’s implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) also received a lot of backlash at the start but was eventually accepted after a lot of criticism.

The English FA will be cautious of circumstances that had arisen during the implementation of the VAR in the Premier League. The FA could use the blue cards first in the League Cup and the FA Cup before implementing them in the Premier League.