The debate about time penalties in soccer has been going on for some time, and they have already been tested. Now the blue card could be introduced – but nothing has been finally decided yet. And FIFA made its position clear once again in the evening
It’s already common practice in ice hockey and handball: time penalties. Now it could also come to soccer, as the English “Telegraph” reports that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will announce the test run of a new blue card on Friday.
Minor fouls that prevent a goalscoring opportunity or verbal attacks on the referee would then be punished with the aforementioned card. This would result in a ten-minute compulsory break. It is also stated that two blue cards would lead to a sending-off in the same way as two yellow cards, as would a combination of blue and yellow.
According to the report, corresponding test series could start as early as this summer, although this would not take place in the top leagues or at major tournaments. The newspaper did, however, mention the FA Cup and the Women’s FA Cup, partly because the English FA is said to be considering making these two competitions available for the experiments on a voluntary basis.
Nothing has been officially confirmed yet. FIFA also responded to the report and emphasized that reports on “so-called blue cards at elite level are not correct” and specified its position in this context: “Any trials, if implemented, should be responsibly limited to tests in lower divisions. “
Time penalties have already been experimented with in lower leagues – including in Germany. For example, the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) reintroduced time penalties for adults in amateur soccer in 2022/23 and drew a positive conclusion in the end. According to the BFV, the measure was positively received by clubs, referees and players, partly because it led to a reduction in the number of sending-offs and therefore also suspensions. However, there are also critical voices, such as Christian Streich, who said that he “didn’t need it”.
Yellow and red cards have existed since the 1970 World Cup in Mexico; the yellow-red card with a shorter suspension was introduced in 1991
Another novelty? Only the captain is allowed to audition
In addition to the blue card, it is also planned that in future only the captain will be allowed to speak to the referee in the event of controversial decisions – an approach that is already successfully practiced in rugby. In this way, pack formation is to be avoided. In general, the rule makers want to improve the behavior of players and officials and increase respect for match officials. The plans had already been announced in November, but now it seems to be getting more concrete
