Meaning White Card In Football, Only First Used In Portugal

Illustration of football (Unsplash / Emilio Garcia)

YOGYAKARTA - The world of football was shocked by the referee issuing a white card for the first time on Saturday 21 January 2023. The white card was issued in the match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica in Portugal. Many people are curious what a white card means in football.

Giving the yellow card started at the end of the first half, when Benfica took the lead from Lisbon with a score of 3-0. In the 44th minute, medical officers both teams rushed to get close to the crowd complaining of pain in the stands. The referee then appreciated the act by giving him a white card.

In the history of football before, a white card has never been issued at all. In contrast to the yellow and red cards that are always used in every match. Both cards are used when there is a violation of regulations and bad behavior.

The use of white cards is the opposite of red and yellow cards. The white card is used for the referee's recognition of the club's players and officials who have behaved well and were sporting during the match.

The white card is not intended to give negative penalties to players and club officials. The use of white cards in football is part of an initiative to encourage teams to compete in a sporting manner.

Until now, the white card is only used in the State of Portugal. The white card was originally an initiative policy of the Portugal National Sports Ethics Institute to improve fair play behavior in sports competitions.

The Portuguese Football Federation then began to adopt the use of white cards. This move is a new initiative from the previous ones using only red cards and yellow cards.

Red cards and yellow cards began to be used at the 1970 World Cup. The purpose of using the two cards is to discipline players and reduce the number of violations and disturbances during the match.

The white card is currently only used in matches under the auspices of the FPF. The white card has not yet been applied in the FIFA law of the game which is the standard regulation for international football.

The proposed use of a white card was actually expressed by UEFA President Michel Platini. At that time, Platini applied for the use of a white card for punishment for players who protested excessively against the referee.

Players who get a white card will receive a 10-minute ban. However, the proposal did not get support from UEFA members.

Meanwhile, the white card was used for the first time in the Portuguese Women's Club Cup match. Until now the card is only used in one country. Will other countries implement the same thing as Portuguese football?

The issue of implementation in all countries has been discussed, but it still needs to wait for their respective policies and FIFA. You will also see how football fans react to the use of the card.

Especially after the implementation of additional time policies in every round of matches at the Qatar World Cup. The additional time is a form of time change that has been wasted by players who have acted a lot, injury care, long goal celebrations, VAR interventions, substitutions, and player reactions after getting a card.

That's the review of the meaning of using a white card in football and its history. White cards are needed to encourage sportsmanship and fairplay during the match. But until now the white card has only been applied in one country, namely Portugal.

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