Football's rulemakers set to introduce blue cards for sin-bins

Sin-bins could be introduced in professional football if football’s rulemakers’ plans are given the go-ahead, Sky Sports News understands.

Blue cards for sin-bins are set to be introduced in football

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will publish the detailed protocols for the trials on Friday, Sky News understands, with the new ruling expected to include blue cards.

In the trials, blue cards will give refs the power to send players off for 10 minutes for dissent or cynical fouls.

Two blue cards would result in the player being sent off for the rest of the match, as would a blue and a yellow card.

The IFAB is set to give the go-ahead for the extended sin-bin trial in senior levels of the game at its annual meeting on 2 March in Glasgow.

There have already been trials in amateur and youth football in both England and Wales and the sport’s lawmaking body agreed in November last year that they should be implemented at higher levels of football.

Board members had also supported a proposed trial whereby only the team captain may approach the referee in certain major game situations.

Board member Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association, said at the time: “When we were looking at sin bins – protocol clearly has to be developed – the areas we were looking at were dissent, where it’s worked very, very well in the grassroots game in England.

“We’ve also spoken about other areas, particularly tactical fouls.

“I think frustration for fans watching games when they see a promising counter-attack that’s ruined by that and the question of whether a yellow card is sufficient for that has led to us looking at whether that should be involved in the protocol as well.

“The starting point was looking at player behaviour and dissent – we’re then looking at whether we should extend it into other areas, such as tactical fouls, as well.”

Sky News sports correspondent Ro Harris reports sin bins could be tested in the FA Cup in England in what would be one of the biggest changes to football since the introduction of red and yellow cards at the 1970 World Cup.

Blue cards have already been trialled for sin bins in grassroots football, including in Wales.

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