Football is all set to introduce a revolutionary blue card system from next season onwards. It’s a new penalty card, a first in over 50 years, where a player will get booked for a cynical foul that denies a player a critical scoring chance, or for remonstrating with the referee.
Players who get booked with a blue card will face suspension, but only for 10 minutes, although two blue cards can lead to a red and thereby a permanent suspension from the game, very much like one would if he gets two yellow cards.
Now, what if a goalkeeper gets a blue card? The custodians are prone to committing fouls too, and if anyone does indeed receive a blue, he will obviously have to leave the field. But his team will have to either force an outfield player to wear the gloves or make a permanent substitution under these new sin-bin trials.
Also Read: Blue Card rule in soccer- All you need to know
Blue cards in soccer have already been in use at the grassroots level in Wales, and will soon go into trail in the FA Cup and League Cup games, although it could take some time to make inroads into the top professional leagues. Last year, during a women’s game in Portugal, a white card was used to appreciate the sportsmanship after Benfica and Sporting Lisbon’s women’s team doctors rushed to attend a fan who collapsed in the stands.