FIFA President Firmly Rejects the Introduction of Blue Cards in Top-Level Football

The blue card will not be introduced. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has categorically ruled out the prospect that blue cards could play a role in high-level football. The new card was supposed to be a tool available to referees to temporarily suspend a player. The protocols that were supposed to be published on February 9 had been approved at a board meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at the beginning of that week. When news about the blue card circulated on February 8, it received a rather negative reaction, and the IFAB felt the need for further discussions at the organization's annual general meeting. Blue card, FIFA clarifies: 'Experimentation only in minor competitions.' On the eve of the meeting at Loch Lomond, Infantino declared: 'Blue cards will not be used at the elite level. This is a topic that does not exist for us. FIFA is completely opposed to blue cards. I was not aware of this topic. I am the president of FIFA, and I think FIFA has a say in the IFAB. So, I don't know if you want the headline: 'It's a red card for the blue card!,' Infantino said clearly. 'Every proposal and every idea must be treated with respect, obviously. But, once looked at, we must also protect the game, the essence of the game, the tradition of the game, and there is no blue card.' Therefore, experimentation will continue but in lower categories than originally planned by the protocol of February 9. In the minor leagues, the introduction of the blue card might occur in the future, but in top-level football, this novelty will not happen in any way.