What is white card in football: Rules, history and its use
The white card is also called the fairplay card. It is used in Portugal’s domestic football competitions to reward positive actions of those involved in the game.
Football
Red and yellow cards in football are primarily used to punish or warn players or officials for violations of rules. To immediately reward players, officials or spectators for sportsmanship, Portugal's National Plan for Ethics in Sport (PNED) introduced the concept of the white card in football.
Also known as the fairplay card, the white card is a symbolic representation of positive conduct in the beautiful game. It is yet to be included in the laws of the game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). However, the Portuguese football federation (FPF) has implemented the white card system across all its domestic competitions, including the top-tier Liga Portugal.
“The aim of the card is to recognise, highlight and reward ethically relevant attitudes and behaviour of practitioners, coaches, managers, among other agents directly involved in the game, as well as spectators” states the PNED.
Use of white cards in football
The first-ever white card usage in top-flight football was in a Taca de Portugal (Cup of Portugal) women’s match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on January 21, 2023.
Benfica were leading Sporting Lisbon 3-0 and on the brink of half-time when someone on the sidelines fell ill, the medical staff of both teams rushed to the spot.
The medical staff of both teams were shown white cards by Portuguese referee Catarina Campos for their prompt response to the situation amidst the standing ovation from the crowd.
Several white cards have been flashed in Portugal’s domestic competitions. According to a United Nations report, more than 2,000 white cards have been shown in Portugal’s youth-level football, serving as a means to promote fair play and enhance moral standards among the emerging generation of players.
When can a football referee issue a white card
There is no set threshold for when a referee can give a white card in football. The PNED states that the white card is meant to acknowledge and reward ethical conduct by anyone directly involved in the game. The referee has discretionary powers to use a white card.
Former UEFA president Michel Platini also proposed the implementation of the white card across Europe but for a different reason. Platini's suggestion involved using the white card as a disciplinary measure for dissent, requiring the offending player to exit the pitch for 10 minutes.
This proposal aimed to combat what Platini perceived as the "craze of contesting the referee," a phenomenon he considered "a veritable epidemic in football". However, the idea never came to fruition.