FIFA has denounced ‘incorrect and premature’ allegations about the immediate use of blue cards in elite football competitions.
On Friday, it was reported that the International Football Association Board (Ifab) had approved the trials, with an official statement expected today.
It would be the first new card used in football since the 1970 World Cup, when the iconic yellow and red cards were introduced.
However, following an immediate outcry against the proposals, FIFA has issued a statement clarifying their objectives.
The world’s football governing body downplayed the probability of them being incorporated into elite football anytime soon.
“FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called ‘blue card’ at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature,” the statement partly read.
“Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a responsible manner at lower levels, a position that FIFA intends to reiterate when this agenda item is discussed at the IFAB AGM on 2 March.”