After years of speculation as to whether it could work in the beautiful game, blue cards are set to be tested across world football as part of a new trial of the sin-bin system seen in sports like rugby.
As per an exclusive by Telegraph Sport, the small-scale introduction of blue cards is scheduled to take place sometime next season and could be as early as this summer, with trials starting out in smaller competitions before being potentially workshopped in the likes of the FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup.
While it’s said that they will not be seen in European competitions like the Euros or next year’s Champions League, with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin having come out in full protest against them — “It’s not football anymore”, he previously told the outlet — there’s already been a push for blue cards.
The Welsh FA have been keen to try out the sin-bin alternative for this competitive year, calling for blue cards instead of the long-discussed orange so as to clearly differentiate between yellow and red, but the testing has been done at the grassroots level in Wales has simply used yellows for the time being.
Blue cards are set to be trialed in football, according to @TeleFootball
Players will be sent off for 10 minutes if they commit a cynical foul or show dissent 🔵 pic.twitter.com/CL4AuvAJAA
One game-changing example came to mind immediately on social media.
So how would blue cards and sin-bins in football work?
Now, the proposed sin-bin system is pretty straightforward by the sounds of things: one blue card equates to 10 minutes off the pitch and will be handed out by referees in response to things like dissent or cynical fouls in the first order.
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The Telegraph reports that two blue cards would result in a red just like a player would currently be sent off if they earned a second yellow card.
How this will integrate with existing bookings via a traditional yellow or receiving one of each etc. remains to be seen but will no doubt be outlined in more detail when the official announcement is made, expected to be this Friday, 9 February.
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Said to have been signed off by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the governing body which adjudicates over FIFA and all other organisations within world football, the introduction of blue cards and the sin-bin system would be the biggest rule change since the 1970 World Cup.
IFAB will publish the detailed protocols for sin bin trials in professional football tomorrow and are expected to include a provision for blue cards 🟦
In the trials, referees will have the power to send players off for 10 minutes for dissent or cynical fouls ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/TXzz7DFaSy
The iconic tournament saw the first use of yellow and red cards over half a century ago and is now the standard so synonymous with the game that most football fans won’t remember a time before it.
Although the introduction of VAR just a few years ago now has proved controversial in the sport, to say the least, sin-bins have been used on numerous occasions in youth and grassroots games up and down the UK, with refs cracking down on dissent (complaining to/abusing officials) more and more each year.
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If the new proposals are ultimately greenlit, they could also the trial of another rugby union-style rule which will see only team captains allowed to contest on-field calls to further dissuade players from swarming referees in an effort to pressure them into making a particular decision.
It would be a landmark moment in the history of football if it does pass and progress into global leagues and major tournaments. What do you reckon — a good idea or a bad one?
Man City fan jailed after causing £10k damage to a police vehicle following Champions League victory
Emily Sergeant
A Manchester City fan has been jailed for his part in large-scale disorder following the club’s Champions League victory.
The court heard how, following Manchester City’s Champions League Final win over Inter Milan in Istanbul in Turkey on Saturday 10 June 2023, jubilant fans flocked to the streets of Manchester city centre for late-night celebrations.
The large influx of fans in high spirits prompted a police response to ‘ensure public safety’ and ‘prevent any public disorder’, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
However, the disorder did begin to escalate despite police presence.
A number of fans, including 22-year-old Leon Blackett, scaled a police vehicle and proceeded to jump up and down on it, which subsequently caused more than £10,000 worth of damage, and resulted in the vehicle having to be written off.
#JAILED | Leon Blackett (14/01/2003) of Craigmore Avenue, has been been handed a three-month jail term for causing £10k worth of damage to a police vehicle following the club's Champions League win in 2023, along with 41 months for other offences.
Following the disorder, an investigation was launched by GMP’s City Centre policing, with officers obtaining social media and CCTV footage that helped them to identify those responsible.
Blackett admitted to the offence, after he was arrested on Thursday 19 October 2023.
Following admitting to the offence, Blackett was sentenced to 44 months in prison – a three-month jail term for this football-related offence, along with 41 months for possession of a bladed article and a domestic related communications offence.
He has also been given a seven-year Football Banning Order, commencing on the day Blackett received his sentence.
“The actions by Blackett in the wake of Manchester City’s historic Champions League Final victory were completely unacceptable,” commented PC Matt Ford, from GMP’s Specialist Operations Planning Unit.
“This is a timely reminder to those who commit crimes while following the football in another country, we will seek prosecutions for unacceptable behaviour.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Six Nations to stay free-to-air as broadcasters strike new TV deal
Danny Jones
Good news for rugby fans as the Guinness Six Nations is set to remain free-to-air for the foreseeable future following a new deal being struck between the competition and its current broadcasters.
With the 2025 tournament approaching its conclusion, the organisers are already looking ahead to the next year and how to contest will be marketed, with many predicting the rights to be snapped up by a major sporting channel.
Fortunately, however, the Six Nations‘ present coverage partners have managed to keep the games as part of the current TV license package after striking a new four-year deal.
The agreement between BBC and ITV, who air all of the annual fixtures between them at the moment, will see the pair host the matches until 2029 at the very least.
As mentioned, it was thought that broadcasters and streaming platforms like TNT Sports might secure the licensing for at least part of the tournament as they continue to expand their large and varied service but, for now, UK coverage is staying right where it is.
Under the new contract, ITV will show 10 games per season, including every England match, while the BBC will air the remaining five fixtures.
BBC will also host all Wales and Scotland home games bar when the two nations play England at Murrayfieldand the Principality Stadiums, respectively.
Better still, not only will the men’s competition be staying free-to-air but BBC will continue to show every game during the Women’s Six Nations as the interest in female rugby continues to grow.
In fact, it’s having quite a boom here in Greater Manchester on its own.
Greater Mancs making strides for the next generation.
This year’s tournament has been as blockbuster and nail-baiting as ever, with England still in with a chance of winning the whole thing if they beat Wales with a bonus point – provided France fail to beat Scotland in the final game.
England’s last game gets underway at 4:45pm and it’s all to play for.
You can find all the best places to watch the remainder of the action down below:
Danny Jones -
8th February 2024 
