The International Football Association Board (Ifab), the body responsible for setting the rules of the game, is set to explore the possibility of introducing blue cards and sin bins in the sport.
The trials — to address player dissent and to potentially penalise cynical fouls — will aim to improve the game’s fairness and respect levels.
Sin bins, which temporarily sideline players for 10 minutes following their being given a blue card, have already been used at grassroots football levels, primarily to target dissent.
The details regarding the trial’s start and the competitions it will be used in remain unclear.
The Premier League has opted out of taking part in the trial’s initial phase.
Fifa has also explained that any reports suggesting the implementation of blue cards at elite football levels are incorrect.
The global governing body stressed that if trials were to proceed, they would begin at lower levels of the game.
Blue cards are scheduled for discussion at Ifab’s upcoming annual meeting in March in Scotland.
Sin bin trials at more competitive levels form part of the agenda.
Since their introduction, these trials have led to a decrease in incidents of dissent, with the association saying there was a 38% reduction across 31 leagues during the 2018-19 early phase.
Following this success, sin bins were introduced across grassroots football in the 2019-20 season.
Compiled by staff writer
Pictured above: Blue cards.
Image source: X
