White card shown at football match for the first time in history | 01/23/2023

This happened on January 21 in the match between the women’s teams Benfica and Sporting (5:0). When one of the players became ill, medical teams from both clubs appeared on the field. After the doctors normalized the athlete’s condition, the referee showed them a white card as a thank you for the assistance provided.

Fans at the stadium greeted the referee’s decision with applause. However, on social networks, some users considered the innovation a waste of time.

The International Football Federation introduced the use of white cards in Portugal as an experiment. In this way, it is planned to thank the participants of the matches for fair play and increase the ethical value in sports.