Historic football moment
Referee shows a white card for the first time ever
A historic moment happened in Portugal at the weekend: For the first time, a white card was shown in a football game. However, this does not serve to sanction players.
Published: 17 minutes ago
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Historic moment: For the first time in the history of football, a white card is shown in a competitive game.
Well, what’s going on there? In the cup match between the women’s teams Benfica Lisbon and Sporting last Saturday, the referee Catarina Campos suddenly pulled out a white card.
When the score is 3-0 for Benfica, a fan collapses in the stands. Medical workers from both teams then rush to the emergency site and tend to the person. When he seems to be doing better again, they return to the field, where the referee shows them the white card – as recognition and appreciation.
The Portuguese FA launched the card as part of a project to promote ethics and fair play in sport. It is not clear whether there are other rewards for teams in addition to recognition and respect for a white card.
Green card was already used
In 2016, a card for fair play was introduced in the second highest Italian league, Serie B, but at the time it was green. At the end of the season, the “fairest player of the season” was awarded.
The card shown at the CONFIA World Cup in 2018 was also green. There, however, it was used to personally sanction players. It was declared as an intermediate stage between the yellow and red card.
The general secretary of the federation explained the card as follows: “If a certain player behaves badly on the pitch, the green card gives the referee the opportunity to personally sanction the player without penalizing the entire team, since they are eleven Players are allowed to continue playing.” The offending player had to be substituted, but he was not suspended for the next game.
The CONFIA federation is home to independent states that are not members of Fifa, minorities or micronations. These include, for example, Tibet, Kurdistan, the Carpathian Ukraine (acting world champion) and even – no joke – the canton of Ticino. However, he has never participated in a World Cup that has been held since 2014. (che)