On Thursday, reports revealed that the guardians of the game at IFAB are on the verge of unveiling a game-changing proposal: the blue card. This move comes as part of their innovative “sin bin” trial suggestions.
IFAB, the body responsible for setting the rules of the game, first floated the idea of testing sin bins in the professional leagues back in November. The concept involves temporarily sidelining players for cynical fouls or dissent, a strategy that’s been under experimentation at the grassroots level in lower-tier English competitions since 2019. With plans to extend this trial, IFAB is poised to officially announce their intentions in March.
The proposed blue card would signal a player’s temporary removal from the game, sending them to the sin bin for a ten-minute cool-off period.
Should these plans materialise, it would represent the first introduction of a new card since the yellow and red cards were officially adopted at the 1970 World Cup. The buzz reached Celtic’s camp as Brendan Rodgers, the team’s manager, was quizzed by reporters at Lennoxtown about his thoughts on the blue card concept ahead of Celtic’s Scottish Cup clash against St Mirren.
Rodgers didn’t disappoint, sparking laughter among the journalists with a nod to the rivalry in Glasgow. He shared his initial reaction to the blue card news, joking, “Well as soon as I seen it, I said ‘I work in Scotland, I’m sure they better have a green card as well as a blue one because we might be in trouble!'”
His conclusion on the matter was straightforward, adding a touch of humour, “So yeah, just don’t complicate it. Just make a decision whether it’s a red, yellow or no card. We don’t need a blue card up here, that’s for sure. No, no way!” – a light-hearted moment amid the serious talk of football regulations.
There is too much tampering with the beautiful game and this only serves to further complicate things.
As Celtic prepares to face St Mirren, the team’s recent form has been less than stellar, but the squad is looking to build on the momentum from their last-minute victory over Hibs.
