FIFA is considering making significant changes to its disciplinary procedures ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with the goal of reducing the number of players suspended for accumulating yellow cards.
According to BBC Sport on Monday, the plan would add a second amnesty point to the competition, wiping out all yellow cards at the end of the group stage and after the quarter-final.
Under present laws, players are suspended after receiving two yellow cards in a row, a system that can result in key players missing crucial knockout matches.
Due to the World Cup expanding from 32 to 48 teams, the number of matches required to advance to the final stages will increase.
Teams will have to play an extra round, which means players might participate in up to six matches before the semi-finals.
FIFA considers that this increases the danger of penalties for relatively minor offenses, with more players potentially missing high-stakes matches.
Rather than extending the punishment threshold to three yellow cards, FIFA officials believe adopting two cut-off points is a more equitable alternative.
To be banned under the proposed method, players would need to receive two bookings in a shorter stretch of matches—either during the group stage or throughout the elimination stages up to the quarter-finals.
The modification is intended to maintain discipline while reducing the likelihood that significant matches would be decided by the absence of key players owing to accumulated cautions.
The suggestion is scheduled to be reviewed at the next FIFA Council meeting, where a final decision on the rule change may be taken.
