Green card in football: What is it for? | OneFootball

Yellow and red cards have been used in football for decades now, but is it time for a green card to be introduced on a permanent basis?

In January 2023 a referee made history by showing a white card for the first time ever during a clash between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.

The white card has been introduced to recognise and praise fair play during matches. It’s hoped that the new card will encourage ethical values in sport.

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But you may not be aware that a green card has also been experimented with.

When has a green card been used in football?

The first use of the green card by a referee happened in June 2018 during the CONICA World Football Cup - a tournament for non-FIFA affiliated international teams.

The ref blew his whistle to halt play, showed the green card to a Padania player and ordered him to leave the pitch.

The ref appeared to make a ‘talking too much’ gesture with his hands. A graphic confirmed that the green carded player must be substituted.

What is a green card in football for?

CONIFA rules stated that "a player who receives a green card must leave the field of play immediately, but can be replaced if his team have not used all of their substitutes. A player receiving a green card is not excluded from his team's next match."

Speaking to Sky Sports about the introduction of the green card, tournament organiser Paul Watson said: "We'd really like to clamp down on the dissent problem. Football has a problem with the lack of respect for referees.

"That's not to say that isn't also the case in CONIFA games - the players in our tournament still have those traits.

"But it would be nice that, instead of it being ignored and therefore in a way condoned, it shouldn't necessarily cost someone their chance to play at this tournament, if they just lose their cool."

Meanwhile, CONIFA's Asia President Jens Jockel said of the rule: "We have had some minor problems in the past, with some red cards at the end of a game - mostly when teams realised they can't keep up and find themselves losing heavily with 10 minutes left.

"It's a really good idea of how to sanction things that might not be worthy of a red card. More like personal mistakes - using swear words, disrespecting spectators and coaches and so on. It's a perfect way to find something in between."

It sounds like a pretty good idea, doesn’t it?

It would certainly make players think twice about some of their on-field behaviour.

Has there been another type of green card used in football?

A couple of years earlier, Serie B introduced a different type of green card, designed to promote fair play in the Italian second division.