How Premier League managers have reacted to blue cards proposal

Football is an increasingly complicated game.

With every new season comes fresh rule changes and guideline tweaks as associations strive for impossible perfection, often leaving fans frustrated by a lack of consistency and common sense.

The latest introduction touted by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) is blue cards, a potentially game-shattering concept that will completely alter football as we know it.

But, while the social media sphere has been critical of the idea, what do Premier League managers think about the potential arrival of blue cards?

What are blue cards?

Blue cards are fairly simple to understand, yet they would have an immense impact on football.

If a player is shown a blue card, they would be sin-binned for ten minutes, only returning to the field after serving their mini suspension. That means any side that receives a blue card is reduced to ten players for a short period of time.

Blue cards would be shown to players for cynical fouls or dissent, replacing a yellow card for these offences. If a player is shown two blue cards in a match, they would be sent off for the entirety of the game, as they also would if given a combination of one blue and one yellow card.

Goalkeepers would not be exempt from blue cards, meaning teams would either have to play an outfield player in goal for ten minutes or substitute an outfield player with a goalkeeper as sin-binned players can't be directly withdrawn during their punishment.

When could blue cards be introduced?

Blue cards have already been trialled regularly in grassroots football matches in the United Kingdom and, while no specific date has been penned in for their trialled introduction at higher levels, lawmakers were set to release their plans for blue cards in greater detail during February 2024.

However, perhaps after widespread criticism of the proposal, they have delayed publishing their blue card plans until the beginning of March.

How have Premier League manager reacted to blue cards?

It's fair to say criticism of blue cards has been almost universal among Premier League managers, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp one of those to have questioned the introduction of the rule change.

Speaking about blue cards in a press conference, the German stated: "These kinds of things just make it more complicated. If you want to test it, no problem with testing, but if that's the first step to agreeing or already being sure that it will happen. I have no idea to be honest. I have no idea.

"[It] doesn't sound like a fantastic idea in first moment. But I can't remember when the last fantastic idea came from these guys [IFAB], if they ever had one."

Klopp was not alone in his thoughts, with Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou also quick to scrutinise IFAB's blue card concept.

"I struggle to understand why this urgency suddenly to bring in new things. I don't know if there's that much wrong with the game," said Postecoglou.

"My issue with the game right now is that VAR has changed football as an experience. I don't know why a different colour card is going to make a difference. I don't know about this taking things from other sports. Other sports are trying to make their games faster, we're bringing in more clutter."

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was also critical of the game becoming "more complicated", while Eddie Howe suggested it would simply "add more confusion".

However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tried to look on the bright side of things, even if he was not totally convinced by the idea.

"I think everything is being done with the intention to simplify it and make it more clear and try to cut out mistakes from decisions that are extremely difficult," said the Spaniard.

"In a split second, you are talking about centimetres, or even millimetres. So hopefully everything is done to improve the game, and if that's the case. It's worth trying.

"I don't know if we are ready for that yet. Hopefully it's going to be tested very well before they introduce it at this level."

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