Football to introduce BLUE cards as 10-minute sin-bins set to be trialled in professional game

Football to introduce BLUE cards as 10-minute sin-bins set to be trialled in professional game

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as blue cards set to be trialled

Lewis Winter

By Lewis Winter


Published: 08/02/2024

- 15:58

The new concept could be introduced in the FA Cup from next season

Football lawmakers will reportedly announce on Friday that they will trial the introduction of BLUE cards into the professional game.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have agreed to a major change that will see players sin-binned for a period of 10 minutes.


Sin-bins have been trialled in grassroots football in England for several years and it had already been confirmed they will be trialled at an elite level.

Blue cards have been used at a grassroots level in Wales this season and it appears as though it has been a success.

Bruno Fernandes and Raphael Varane

Blue cards are set to be trialled in professional football

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The Telegraph claims that IFAB have signed off on the trial and an announcement is set to be made tomorrow.

It is claimed players who received a blue card will be removed from the pitch for 10 minutes if they commit a cynical foul or show dissent towards an official.

The report says the colour blue was chosen instead of orange to show a clear differentiation between red and yellow.

The law change will not come into effect in top-tier competitions straight away as testing looks to iron out any issues.

However, it is claimed that trials in the elite game could begin as early as the summer.

The FA are said to be considering volunteering the FA Cup and Women's FA Cup as competitions for testing next season.

It was already reported last November that sin-bins were set to be trialled in the Premier League.

At the time it was claimed the rugby-style measure could be introduced as early as next season in the top flight.

The idea behind a blue card will be to give a harsher punishment to challenges that are not quite worthy of an immediate dismissal.

Blue cards will be limited to fouls where a player prevents a promising attack, as well as dissent towards a match official.

It has been confirmed that two blue cards in one match will lead to a red card, as well as a combination of a yellow and a blue.

One competition that will not see blue cards and sin-bins introduced is this summer's European Championships in Germany.

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Dan Burn

Players will get a blue card for a cynical foul or dissent towards an official

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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he would be against any radical change in laws from IFAB.

He said: "It’s not football anymore. We will not use them in UEFA competition.

"IFAB has four European members. I don’t think they will do something against the interests of football. And, if they do, then we will deal with it later.

"I would leave football as it is. I think we don’t need a change of rules.

Douglas Luiz yellow card

Players will be sin-binned for 10 minutes if they receive a blue card

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"We don’t need to be remembered as important persons that changed football. We don’t need to change football. We are passing through."

The Telegraph claims UEFA may have to change their stance if the trials lead to an official change in law.

Meanwhile, Ceferin confirmed on Thursday he will not stand for re-election in 2027.

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