Football may be ready for a dramatic revamp in the coming days, as the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the introduction of blue cards on Thursday (February 8). The new regulation will be an enhancement to football’s sanction system, with players facing time off during the match, giving the other team a man’s edge in a sin-bin system previously employed in rugby and hockey. However, given that football is an open passing sport, the key question is whether goalkeepers will face blue card fines.
Goalkeepers face a blue card sanction
According to the most recent story from The Telegraph, goalkeepers will not be exempt from blue cards and will face a time-out if they receive one. This could result in the goalie sitting out the match for the specified sin-bin duration (usually 10 minutes). In this case, the team at a disadvantage can use one of their outfield players as a goalkeeper or make a permanent substitution. However, the IFAB is currently discussing how the new rule will be enforced, therefore it is unclear in which cases the goalie will receive a blue card.
Effects of the Blue Card Introduction
As things are, red cards remain the most severe form of punishment, resulting in a one, three, or more match suspension for the player. Yellow cards remain the second-highest level of punishment and could result in a ban if the player receives multiple over the season. Blue cards are likely to replace yellow cards as the second-highest order of punishment since the player is temporarily removed rather than remaining on the field despite receiving a card.
Since blue cards (sin-bin) were largely introduced in 2018, the Football Association (FA) has recorded a 38% drop in dissent incidents. If this is the case, players’ on-field discipline toward referees and opposing players is predicted to increase.
