From the people who brought you the wildly popular VAR system, and the completely straightforward and universally understood new handball interpretation, comes another rule change which risks pulling further at the frayed and distressed fabric of the beautiful game.

Blue cards are coming to a soccer match near you, and we’re not talking about the police check you need to coach your kid’s team on the weekend.

Socceroo Aiden O’Neill is given his marching orders at the Asian Cup.Credit: AP

When Europeans wake up on Friday morning, the International Football Association Board – the body which oversees the laws of the game – will reportedly announce a trial that could give referees another hue of PVC plastic or cardboard to brandish at players, a potential first addition to their arsenal of colours since yellow and red cards were introduced at the 1970 World Cup.

According to the UK Telegraph, a new blue card will sit in the ref’s pocket for use in situations where dissent has been shown against match officials, or when a promising attack has been ended by a cynical, so-called ‘professional foul’. A blue card means a 10-minute spell in the sin bin (the team’s technical area). Two blues, or one yellow and one blue, equals a red.

The backlash from fans across the world was so immediate and strong, FIFA was moved to clarify that it was “incorrect and premature” to suggest the blue card would be trialled at the elite level next season, even though the Telegraph claimed that England’s Football Association was prepared to offer the men’s and women’s FA Cups as guinea pigs. If a trial occurs, FIFA says, it should only happen at the lower levels of the game, as it will table at next month’s IFAB annual general meeting when the idea could be passed.

Sin bins have already been trialled at grassroots level in some countries, including Australia, to some degree of success. Football Australia’s head of referees Nathan Magill has observed a positive change since “temporary dismissals” were implemented and sees the blue card as a logical progression, at least at that level.

Could rugby league-style sin bins be coming to football?Credit: Getty

“The blue card could serve as an educational mechanism for players, parents, and coaches, which is a common challenge for community match officials,” he told this masthead. “It’s the goal of Football Australia to enhance the experience of community match officials. As such, we are open to exploring options that can assist referees in managing the game effectively. To that end, we are developing a series of initiatives for this community football season to enhance the match environment for all involved.”

IFAB’s primary motivation is to improve player behaviour and reduce abuse, and the table was set for tinkering with the rules in November, when a range of potential measures were discussed to battle what FIFA’s referees boss Pierluigi Collina says is a “cancer” that could kill football. Among them was adopting the rugby union method of allowing only a team’s captain to approach the referee.