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?
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
8th February 2024 
