While we are familiar with yellow and red cards, used as a means of warning and punishing players, the White Card, introduced by The National Plan for Ethics in Sport (NPES), takes a different approach. It serves as a positive reinforcement, recognizing players who uphold the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship.
It was a historic moment when referee Catarina Campos, on January 21, 2023, became the first to use the white card during a women’s cup clash between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica in Lisbon in a Cup of Portugal. The showing of the card, as naturally as it was red or yellow, was well received by the public at the Estadio da Luz.
After the initial showing of the so-called “Fairplay card,” United Nations reports have shown that over 2,000 white cards have been flashed in Portugal’s domestic competitions. These cards are especially popular among youth-level footballers, who started implementing this system from the early days to enhance moral standards.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has yet to accept the white card concept as a law in the game. Still, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) already uses it in its domestic competitions, including Liga Portugal.
Both yellow and red cards have been used regularly in football matches, so it isn’t surprising that players are used to them, counting on purposefully making fouls until they receive the red one. Many think it is time to start recognizing sportsmanship and fair play as normal and desirable sights in professional play, not making the whole game about pushing to the limits for polite behavior to turn into obscene.
Former UEFA president Michel Platini initially suggested the white card to combat the epidemic by, again, punishing the offending player by requiring his absence from the pitch for 10 minutes.
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Featured image taken from YouTube.
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