In a women’s match in Portugal, a… blank card appeared. Ms. Catarina Campos showed it during the cup match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica to underline and encourage a gesture of fair play…
When the English referee Ken Aston, looking at a traffic light, had the intuition to invent the cards in 1966, he may not have imagined how much his idea would have an impact on the world of football. And instead, over fifty years later, his heirs continue to wave yellow and red, without having to explain to the players what those signals mean. But since football evolves like the rest of the world, staying anchored to two cards risks being… not very modern. And here in a women’s match in Portugal a white card appeared. Ms. Catarina Campos showed it during the cup match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.
The white card
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But what does the white card mean? Unlike the other two, which serve to warn players and possibly send them off the pitch, the one introduced in Portugal is not a punishment element, but an acknowledgment of something well done. In fact, it serves to underline and encourage gestures of fair play within the game. So, as the DailyMail, the white card was shown just before the end of the first half, with Benfica leading 3-0. When suddenly a person fell ill on a bench, both medical staffs rushed to help. The referee appreciated and was thus able to use his white card, showing it to both teams of rescuers.
Improve ethical values and fair play
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Something that also received applause from the entire stadium, with the public appreciating this innovation, proposed in Portugal to improve ethical values within sport. The idea is that obtaining immediate visual recognition can push those on the field more and more to demonstrate fair play. And from what we have seen recently, with the card already shown several times in women’s football, in lower divisions and even in five-a-side football, it could also work. Of course, this white card is decidedly different from the one proposed by UEFA a decade ago, from an idea by Michel Platini. At the time the concept was that the white card was supposed to represent a temporary 10-minute red card, but in the end nothing came of it. And so now the white card is the only one that the players… will be happy to receive.
January 23 – 15:03
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