Italian soccer league to introduce ‘green cards’ to reward players for good behavior
Italy’s second-flight soccer league wants to change the game for the better and to do so they’re ready to offer players an incentive to play nice. Introducing the green card.
Unlike yellow and red cards, which are given to players for infractions, green cards will be virtually given out after the match to players and others who are deemed the best in terms of fair play.
“We think that football needs positive messages,” a spokesman for Italy’s Serie B league told BBC Sport on Saturday. “This sport is too often embroiled in controversy that drives people away from the stadiums.”
One of Italy’s main problems has been match-fixing, which has affected every level of the game in the country so much so that Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in May that he was “disgusted” by it. His comments came after 50 people, including players, coaches and mafia members, were busted for fixing matches. The scandal continues to affect Italian soccer today, including Serie B, which only began on Saturday after being delayed because of the continuing inquiry.
It’s unclear what exactly a player would have to do to earn a green card, but according to Serie B president Andrea Abodi the rewards will be given out to those who perform an “extraordinary act.” Coaches and even fans could be eligible to receive green cards, as well.
“It’s a symbolic award,” said Abodi (via the BBC). “It could be something very simple. The important thing is to recognize it when a professional does something exemplary.”
“This is just one part of a series of initiatives on and off the pitch,” Abodi added. “Respect has to come first. And that’s where this green card comes into play.”
The cards aren’t in play right now and it will likely be quite some time before they would be introduced to the country’s top-flight Serie A league. The cards are still being developed.
“We’re happy to be a laboratory for Serie A,” Abodi said. “But that’s not for us to decide. We’ve got to work on our own reputation now.”
The green card might not be the only new color of card introduced to European soccer in the near future. UEFA President Michel Platini would like to see white cards come into play, as well. Unlike green cards, however, white cards wouldn’t be given out as rewards. Instead, they’ll act as another means to book players for fouls. The cards would go to players who argue too much with the referee, which Platini says is “a veritable epidemic in football.” White-carded players would be punished with 10-minute timeouts on the sideline.
Source: Washington Post
