Football Managers including Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta appear to be sceptical about the the possibility of introducing blue cards
Football’s lawmakers have delayed plans to publish details of sin-bin trials – which were expected to include the introduction of blue cards – at higher levels of football until next month.
Trial protocols on sin-bins, plus other measures to combat poor player behaviour, were expected to be published on Friday, but it is understood they will now be the subject of further discussion at the International Football As(IFAB]’s annual general meeting at Loch Lomond on March 2.
IFAB has chosen to delay the publication of the proposals to allow more time for discussion.
Sin-bins have been used in grassroots football successfully for a number of years but IFAB indicated at its annual business meeting in November a willingness to test them at higher levels.
It is understood that in these planned trials players would be shown blue cards for dissent and tactical fouls, such as Giorgio Chiellini’s cynical tug on Bukayo Saka for Italy against England in the Euro 2020 final.
The introduction of a blue card, if it passed into the laws of the game, would mark the biggest single change in managing player discipline since red and yellow cards came into force at the 1970 World Cup.
It is understood the plan was not to test sin-bins in top-level competitions initially but to stress test them in lower-level events.
This is understood to be because of concerns about the impact on players coping with different rules being used in a domestic league and a continental competition, for instance.
It is unclear precisely what level IFAB had in mind for these trials but certainly a higher level than the grassroots game.
The agenda for next month’s AGM – published earlier this week – confirmed discussions would be held on the trials approved at November’s ABM for sin-bins, captain-only zones around referees and the testing of cooling-off periods as a means for managing mass confrontations.
Back in November, Paul Merson was left aghast following suggestions that football might introduce a sin-bin system in the professional game
There is also due to be a discussion around a new trial on how best to tackle the problem of goalkeepers holding on to the ball for too long.
FIFA posted on X on Thursday night to say that reports around the use of blue cards in elite football were “incorrect and premature”.
Sin-bins were introduced across all levels of grassroots football from the 2019/20 season in an attempt to improve levels of respect and fair play in the game.
The rule change was implemented up to step five of the National League system and tier three and below in women’s football.
