KUALA LUMPUR: Former Fifa referee Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh believes there is no need to introduce the blue card rule at the highest level of the sport.
He said although the rule had been used in lower-level matches, especially at youth levels, the use of red and yellow cards in football is sufficient to penalise players who commit fouls.
"I am not sure about the necessity of the blue card and whether it can help make football more competitive or not," he told Bernama today.
Last Friday, international media reported that the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for the rules of the game, proposed approving the implementation of the blue card as part of a trial.
According to the report, players would be shown a blue card and ordered off the field for 10 minutes if they disagree with the referee or commit minor infractions.
According to Subkhiddin, if the blue card is enforced, teams losing a player temporarily would slow down the game tempo by controlling the ball in their own half, while the opposing team would increase their attacks.
Meanwhile, football observer Datuk Richard Scully expressed concern that the introduction of the blue card could be manipulated by teams to obtain a positive result in a match.
"I think it's not right (the use of the blue card) to add this card because we don't see its purpose and relevance. If we want competitiveness, we better tighten the existing rules.
"What I see is that if there's a blue card, it will be misused by players or coaches, giving an advantage to their teams. So I think it's better to stick with just two card colours, yellow and red," he said. - BERNAMA