Discussions about the blue card, a time penalty in football, have gained momentum in recent weeks. Now she was slowed down again.
Shortly before the meeting of world football’s regulators, Fifa President Gianni Infantino rejected the introduction of a blue card and the associated time penalty. “There will be no blue card at the top level. The issue does not exist for us,” Infantino told reporters in Glasgow.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab) will meet there on Saturday (10 a.m.) for its annual general meeting. One of the items on the agenda is the proposal to introduce the new map in a test phase in order to discuss its suitability for professional football.
“Red card for the blue card”
FIFA has four out of eight votes in the Ifab and therefore has the option to block all proposed rules. The other members are a representative each of the football associations from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Infantino said he had no knowledge of the issue before it was discussed publicly in media reports in recent weeks. “If you want a headline, it’s ‘Red card for blue card’,” said the Swiss.
The idea of the Blue Card had already attracted critical voices. For example, Liverpool’s German coach Jürgen Klopp had expressed massive doubts and feared new referee debates after controversial decisions. In amateur football, time penalties are also common in Germany.