FIFA President Gianni Infantino has ruled out blue cards being introduced in football.

The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, recently made headlines by dismissing the notion of introducing blue cards in football, a topic that has been the center of attention in recent months. Last month, The Telegraph reported that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was considering the implementation of blue cards into the game, potentially as early as the next season. The report suggested that while these cards might not be used in top-tier competitions, they could potentially be tested in domestic cup tournaments such as the FA Cup and League Cup, provided that the Football Association (FA) agreed to incorporate them as part of a trial.

However, FIFA’s stance on the matter has been firm, as President Infantino emphasized that there is no intention for such a rule change to materialize. In a statement to reporters, Infantino expressed, “This is a topic that is non-existent for us. FIFA is completely opposed to blue cards. I was not aware of this topic, being the president of FIFA – and I believe FIFA has a say in IFAB. No way. We have to be serious. We are always open to looking at ideas and proposals, and everything has to be treated with respect, of course. But once you look at it, you also have to protect the essence and tradition of the game. There is no blue card.”

The proposed introduction of blue cards was intended to be part of a sin-bin trial aimed at reducing players’ dissent against referees and cynical fouls. However, with FIFA’s strong opposition to the idea, it seems unlikely that it will come to fruition. Nevertheless, sources from The Athletic suggest that sin bins could still be under consideration, as FIFA and IFAB are set to convene for the Annual General Meeting, raising the possibility of further developments in the governance and rules of the game.