FIFA Proposes New Yellow Card System to Reduce Suspensions

FIFA is considering significant changes to its disciplinary rules to reduce the number of player suspensions resulting from accumulated yellow cards during tournaments. According to a report by BBC Sport, the proposal includes introducing a second amnesty point that would wipe yellow cards at the end of the group stage, specifically before the quarter-finals.

Currently, players are suspended after receiving two yellow cards across a sequence of matches, which can lead to key players missing crucial knockout fixtures. As the FIFA World Cup expands from 32 to 48 teams, the number of matches required to reach the latter stages will increase, raising the risk of suspensions for minor offenses.

FIFA officials believe that introducing two cut-off points—one for the group stage and another for the knockout round—would provide a fairer solution. This change is designed to preserve discipline while ensuring that major matches are less likely to be decided by the absence of top players due to accumulated cautions.

The proposal is expected to be discussed at the upcoming FIFA Council meeting, with final decisions on rule adjustments to be made thereafter.