Lisbon: Referees usually issue yellow and red cards in football. This is to enforce discipline on the field. However, for the first time in history, a referee issued a white card during a match. The incident happened in Portugal football.
During the Benfica-Sporting Lisbon match in the Portugal Women’s Cup quarter-finals, referee Catharina Campos brandished a white card. When a man in the dugout suddenly fell ill, medical teams from both teams rushed to attend to him. The referee showed white cards to both the medical teams as this was an incident that upholds the value of sports. The 15,000 spectators who came to watch the match applauded the referee’s action with a loud applause.
Portugal has recently implemented some new things in football. The white card belongs to it. It also includes extended injury time and concussion substitutions.
Under the new rules, the referee can show a white card if there are incidents during the game that uphold the values of sportsmanship and promote fair play. By implementing this, Caterina Campos made history.