Times Of Swaziland: FIFA REJECTS BLUE CARD TRIAL IN ELITE FOOTBALL

FIFA REJECTS BLUE CARD TRIAL IN ELITE FOOTBALL
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Mengameli Mabuza on 10/02/2024 07:07:00


MBABANE – Despite earlier reports suggesting a trial would be announced this
week, FIFA has denied that blue cards will be introduced to major competitions
next season.
The publication reported late last year that Sin-bins were set to be introduced
to football after the sport’s lawmakers approved the decision to trial what
could prove to be a revolutionary move. The International Football Association
Board (IFAB) is said to have agreed to trial the rugby-style approach in
elite-level competitions.
This trial could take place as soon as next season. A report from the Telegraph
claimed that the IFAB was making plans to announce that blue cards be introduced
to the game as soon as next season. While the report says they will not be used
in top-tier competitions, they could be given a run out in the likes of the FA
Cup and League Cup should the Football Association (FA) volunteer the
tournaments as part of the trial.
However, the latest report coming from FIFA is that they have denied that blue
cards will not be used in top competitions, saying in a statement later on
Thursday: “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 agenda item is
discussed at the IFAB AGM on March 2.”
The trial will allow referees to show blue cards for dissent and fouls intended
to stop promising attacks and will see a player banished from the field for 10
minutes. Blue cards have already been introduced at grassroots level in some
areas and appear set to come into the professional game soon as part of a wider
‘sin-bin’ regulation.
FIFA will discuss the introduction of a blue card trial at the annual general
meeting next month. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has already spoken against
the idea, claiming that it was not football anymore. Eswatini Football
Association (EFA) Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe said his
office was yet to get an official correspondence from the international football
office on the proposed changes.
(Additional information from goal.com)