Blue cards coming? 'Sin bin' trials to be introduced

The International Football Association Board is expected to publish 'detailed protocols' for the institution of "sin-bins" in football, according to Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol.

Yep, blue cards could be coming to a pitch near you, as dissent and cynical fouls could both earn a player 10 minutes off the pitch not unlike penalty boxes in ice hockey.

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Solhekol says that two blue cards or the combination of a blue card and a yellow card would work the same as two yellow cards and see the player dismissed from the game without replacement.

Blue card fouls have been trialed at youth and amateur levels across England and there are claims that they've significantly reduced the amount of dissent fouls in games.

Another report, from The Times, says that the trials could come the FA Cup and Women's FA Cup as early as next season but FIFA says the implementation of this idea at 'elite levels' is not yet expected.

How could a blue card influence the game?

Let's start here: 10 minutes away from the game is worse than a yellow card and would certainly underline the desire to get berratement of referees, ugly fouls, and unnecessary stoppages in play out of the game.

There's no question that managers would be clear with players from almost Moment No. 1 of preseason that speaking disrespectfully to referees would harm the side more than a standard yellow card.

It wouldn't render the yellow card moot, but it would seem likely that blue cards would occur just as often as yellows: Currently, yellow cards are given for unsporting behavior, dissent, persistent infringement, and several versions of delaying play.