The introduction of a blue card into football has been thrown into doubt amid a growing backlash against the move.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport, an announcement had been planned on Friday for the game’s first new card for more than half a century as part of sin-bin trials at professional level.
But following an extraordinary reaction to the news – including from within football’s corridors of power – those announcement plans have been blocked.
Unrest within the game was underlined on Thursday night by a statement from Fifa which confirmed the disclosure by the Telegraph that initial sin-bin trials would not include top-tier competitions.
The statement went on to say that the introduction of a blue card at any level would be discussed at the annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (Ifab) next month.
Ifab, the game’s law-making body on which Fifa sits along with the four home associations, approved the first sin-bin trials at professional level at its annual business meeting in November.
The precise protocol those trials would follow had been due to be announced on Friday and the delay could now mean those are subject to further revision.
Fifa’s issuing of a statement on an Ifab matter also raises questions about which of the bodies is really in control of changes to the laws of the game.
