Blue cards and 10-minute sin bins could be making an introduction to the Premier League in the near future after they were successfully trialled at grassroots level. The measure is aimed at preventing referees from abuse as it will be used as a punishment for dissent but FA chief executive Mark Bullingham also claimed they're looking at extending the protocol to other areas, such as tactical fouls.
Most recently, the plans have led to public outcry, with FIFA even recently intervening to insist that its rolling-out at all levels is not as imminent as had been reported. However, it is set to be discussed at the next AGM with lawmakers IFAB next month.
Football FanCast has taken a look at ten of the most cynical tactical fouls that may have warranted a blue card. Without further ado, here is our list…
10 Antony hacks down Bissouma 19th August 2023, Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester United
Antony was shown a yellow card by referee Michael Oliver earlier this season for his cynical foul on Yves Bissouma that stopped the midfielder from breaking. On second viewing, there were slight question marks that the Brazillian may have touched the ball but had he not, the proposed sin bin ruling could have been applied in this instance. Coincidently, Bruno Fernandes was also booked for dissent, so could Manchester United have been reduced to nine men, here? We'll let you decide…You can watch the incident here.
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Player
Left
Date
Fee
1
Paul Pogba
Juventus
August 2016
£93.2m
2
Antony
Ajax
September 2022
£86m
3
Harry Maguire
Leicester City
August 2019
£80m
4
Jadon Sancho
Borussia Dortmund
July 2021
£73m
5
Romelu Lukaku
Everton
July 2017
£75m
9 Lockyer trips Eze 25th November 2023, Luton Town 2-1 Crystal Palace
Luton Town's Tom Lockyer may well have been on the receiving end of a blue card earlier this season for his trip on the speedy Eberechi Eze, who was bearing down on goal. The Wales international was subsequently booked but could have faced a 10-minute absence from the action, leaving the hosts with 10 men. The foul was committed just before half-time, so the Hatters would've had to begin the second interval with a significant disadvantage. Could Palace have capitalised?
It's certainly going to be fascinating to see how detrimental these sin bins may be, should the rule materialise of course. Rob Edwards' side ultimately came away 2-1 victors and now reside four points clear of the drop zone whilst Palace languish in 13th, having won one of their last six games. You can watch the incident here.
8 Emerson brings down Semenyo 12th August 2023, Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham United
Antoine Semenyo pounced on Jarrod Bowen's lose pass and was beginning to surge forward before being hauled down by West Ham United left-back Emerson. The former Chelsea defender cynically tripped Semenyo inside his own half and was rightly shown a yellow card, though, a 10-minute absence from the field would've likely been his punishment had it happened under the new potential rulings. Emerson, who committed the foul with three minutes of normal time remaining, would've endured a nervy 10 minutes in the dugout, with his side likely backed up against the wall and clawing onto the 1-1 scoreline. You can watch the incident here.
7 Xhaka swipes at Barrow 15th October 2016, Arsenal 3-2 Swansea City
Arsenal's Granit Xhaka was sent off for his petulant trip on Modou Barrow, who was racing away from the Switzerland international. But would the new ruling have seen a sin-bin awarded rather than a red card? Either way, referee Jon Moss, in this case, gave the midfielder his marching orders. There is certainly an argument for it to have only been a yellow, so perhaps a blue would've been the ideal punishment.
Appearances
297
Goals
23
Assists
29
Yellow cards
76
Red cards
5
6 Jones lunges at McMahon 14th May 1988, Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon
Wimbledon produced one of the greatest FA Cup shocks ever when they defeated the recently crowned top-flight champions Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
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We'll be focusing on Vinnie Jones' lunging challenge on Steve McMahon, though, as it would've certainly resulted in a sin bin at the very least. In fact, a tackle like that nowadays could've seen Jones shown a straight red card due to the forceful and reckless nature of it, but thankfully for the Dons, the physical defender was only booked.
5 Belletti lashes out at Ronaldo 11th January 2009, Manchester United 3-0 Chelsea
Juliano Belletti completely lashed out at Manchester United's fleet-footed winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who skipped past the Brazillian fullback, riding a kick on the way, before being forcefully hauled down by a high challenge. Having done Belletti for trickery, Ronaldo was making a surge for the penalty area for what could've resulted in a third goal for the hosts. Coincidentally, the resulting free-kick ended up in the back of the net anyhow, with Dimitar Berbatov volleying home Ronaldo's well-struck cross.
Competition
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Premier League
33
18
7
Champions League
12
4
3
EFL Cup
4
2
0
Club World Cup
2
1
1
FA Cup
2
1
1
4 Chiellini hauls down Saka 11th July 2021, Italy 1-1 England
England met Italy in the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, with the tournament hosts hoping to end their 55-year trophy drought. Having led for much of the game following Luke Shaw's well-struck opener inside the first two minutes, Leonardo Bonucci tapped home the leveller in the second half.
A moment of madness ensued not long after when veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini dragged down Bukayo Saka by the neck of his shirt but the referee only produced a booking. The foul warranted a much harsher punishment, which is where the proposed blue card would've really provided justice in this scenario. Chiellini certainly got away with one, as the jet-heeled Saka was set to blitz down the line to provide a real threat with the score level.
Ultimately, the final ended in heartbreak for the Three Lions as they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Gli Azzurri on penalties.
3 Ramos stops Atleti's break 28th May 2016, Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid lined up against their city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final, two years on from the 2014 finale which saw Los Blancos defeat Diego Simeone's men in extra-time. And the same outcome unfolded once again this time, as Madrid won 5-3 on penalties to become champions of Europe for the 11th time in their history.
Perhaps one of the most important moments of the fiery encounter was when Sergio Ramos put a halt to a dangerous stoppage time Atleti counterattack, bringing down the speedy Yannick Carrasco. Ramos was shown a yellow card by referee Mark Clattenburg and the tie ultimately went to extra-time. The Spaniard likely would've thought twice if the sin bin ruling was in place…
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Team
Titles
1
Real Madrid
14
2
AC Milan
7
3
Liverpool
6
4
Bayern Munich
6
5
Barcelona
5
2 Ter Stegen throws second ball on pitch 27th November 2016, Real Sociedad 1-1 Real Madrid
Barcelona shot-stopper Marc-André ter Stegen was shown a yellow card for throwing a second ball onto the field of play, thus halting Real Sociedad's impending corner kick. A 10-minute sin bin could've been issued in this instance and a backup goalkeeper would've surely had to enter the fray, replacing an outfield player. Had that scenario loomed, it's unlikely that the German would've committed the offence and the visitors may have capitalised on a legitimate error.
1 Ramos drags down Salah 28th May 2018, Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
Real Madrid triumphed over Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Champions League final, with former Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale stealing most of the headlines. The Welshman netted a brace and his first effort was quite possibly the greatest goal of all time, producing a spectacular bicycle kick that soared past the helpless Loris Karius in the net.
The Reds were dealt a major blow when their talisman Mohamed Salah came off in the 30th minute with a shoulder injury after Ramos hauled him down by his arm before landing on it awkwardly. There will be debate whether it was a tactical foul, but some cynics believe it was a deliberate attempt to injure Liverpool's biggest threat.
Competition
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Premier League
36
32
11
Champions League
13
10
5
Champions League qualifying
2
1
0
FA Cup
1
1
0