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Manchester Evening News

FIFA president Gianni Infantino rules out blue cards for Manchester United and Man City matches

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has emphatically ruled out the prospect of blue cards playing any part in a future sin bin trial.

Gianni Infantino has said blue cards will not be used in elite football
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, looks on following the FIFA Women's World Cup final match in Sydney(Image: Zac Goodwin/PA/PA Archive/PA Images)

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has said 'no' to the idea of blue cards in football.

Blue cards were going to be used by referees to show when a player had to leave the pitch for a temporary period of time. This was all set to start on February 9 after the International Football Association Board (IFAB), who make the rules for football, approved it.


But once the blue cards became public knowledge on February 8, it was opposed by critics. So, IFAB stopped the plan and said they needed to chat more at their big meeting this weekend.


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Before the meeting at Loch Lomond on Saturday, Infantino made it clear: "There will not be any blue cards used at elite level. This is a topic that is non-existent for us."

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He added: "FIFA is completely opposed to blue cards. I was not aware of this topic. I'm the president of FIFA, and I think FIFA has a say in the IFAB. So, I don't know if you want the title, 'It's red card to the blue card!'"

"Every proposal and every idea has to be treated with respect, of course. But, once you look at it, you also have to protect the game, the essence of the game, the tradition of the game, and there is no blue card."

The introduction of a blue card, as initially planned in the trial, would have been the biggest change in player discipline since red and yellow cards were introduced at the 1970 World Cup. The trial is expected to continue but will likely take place at a lower level of football than originally anticipated by the February 9 protocol.


This protocol was meant to encourage applications from all competitions except the very top ones. The Football Association, one of the five bodies that make up the IFAB, was thought to be interested in running a trial in the men's and women's FA Cups in the future, before the controversy around blue cards.

A new signal will also need to be used instead of the blue card. In grassroots football, referees show a yellow card and point to the touchline.

There will also be more discussions on Saturday about whether any sin bin trial should include tactical fouls, as well as dissent. Under the original protocol, all players on the pitch, including goalkeepers, could be temporarily dismissed.


Sin bin trials were one of four protocols set for publication last month before the blue card story broke. IFAB is also thinking about letting referees create a 'captain-only zone' around them when they feel threatened and they are also considering a trial where referees can send teams to their penalty areas to calm down if there's a big argument.

All of these ideas, including the sin bin rules, are meant to make players behave better at higher levels. Infantino has said this is important to show young players the right way to act and to make sure people still want to be referees.

Another trial that was going to be announced on February 9 surrounded how long goalkeepers can hold the ball, and what should happen if they hold it for too long. Right now, 'keepers can hold the ball for six seconds and anything over that should be punished with an indirect free-kick.

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But, the people who make the rules are worried this isn't being followed properly, which is why they've agreed on a new trial.

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