What Is A Green Card In Soccer?
Association football has a well-established system of yellow and red cards to penalize players. But have you ever heard of a green card?
While rare, green cards have been experimented with in some soccer leagues. In this guide, you will learn about the idea of green cards, explaining what they are, what they signify, and how they differ from the traditional card system.
What Is A Green Card In Soccer And What Does It Mean?
Generally, a green card can be used in sports to give an official warning to a player. This warning is for a minor offense that is not serious enough for a yellow or red card.
It’s like a gentle reminder to the player to be careful and not repeat the behavior. However, In association football or soccer, the use of green cards varies.
One interesting example is Italy’s Serie B league. In Serie B, the green card is not used to punish players but to highlight positive actions.
It is the only positive card that a referee can use. If a player does something very sportsmanlike, such as helping an injured opponent or admitting to a foul they committed, they could receive a green card.
The green cards help to determine sportsmanship awards at the end of the season. This means players who consistently show fair play and good behavior are recognized and rewarded.
However, not all uses of the green card are for positive reasons. In some smaller leagues, green cards handle minor disciplinary issues.
For example, a green card may be shown for unsportsmanlike conduct, like making fun of an opponent, diving, or arguing with the referee.
These actions are not serious enough for a yellow card but must be addressed to keep the game fair and respectful. A unique use of the green card was seen in the 2018 CONIFA World Cup.
CONIFA is an organization for teams unrelated to FIFA, such as regions and minority groups. In this tournament, getting a green card meant the player had to leave the field immediately.
If the team still had substitutions available, they could bring in another player to replace the one sent off. But if they had used up all their substitutions, they had to play with one less player for the rest of the match. This rule was designed to keep the game clean and encourage fair play.
Who Introduced Green Cards In Soccer?
The concept of green cards was introduced at the 2018 CONIFA World Cup. CONIFA stands for the Confederation of Independent Football Associations.
This organization oversees soccer competitions for teams that are not part of FIFA, the main international soccer governing body.
These teams come from regions, minority groups, or nations that FIFA does not officially recognize. However, the 2018 CONIFA World Cup was held in London, and this is where the green card made its debut.
The idea of using green cards came from the tournament’s sponsors, Paddy Power, a well-known betting company, aiming to address specific unsportsmanlike behaviors like dissent and diving.
Dissent in soccer means showing disagreement or arguing with the referee’s decisions, and diving is when a player pretends to be fouled to gain an unfair advantage, like getting a free kick or a penalty.
Both of these behaviors are frowned upon in soccer because they go against the spirit of fair play. At the 2018 CONIFA World Cup, the green card had a unique rule attached to it.
When a player was shown a green card, they had to be substituted immediately. This means they had to leave the field and another player from their team would replace them.
This rule was different from the usual yellow and red cards. Yellow cards don’t require substitution, and red cards mean the team has to play with one fewer player.
During the tournament, green cards were used for the first time in a match between Padania and Tuvalu, which took place at Coles Park in Haringey.
The referee for this match, Raymond Mashamba, issued two green cards in quick succession. The first green card went to a Tuvalu midfielder, and the second one was given to Stefano Baldan of Padania.
However, there was a unique situation during this match. Tuvalu had already used all of their allowed substitutions. When the Tuvalu player received the green card, they couldn’t be substituted because there were no more players available on the bench.
As a result, the player had to stay on the field despite being shown a green card. This incident highlighted one of the challenges in implementing new rules in soccer.
The introduction of the green card at the CONIFA World Cup was an unknown experiment. Although the green card was an interesting concept, it has not been widely adopted in other soccer tournaments. Traditional soccer governed by FIFA continues to use the yellow and red card system.
First Green Card In Football
Cristian Galano is an Italian footballer who made history by becoming the first player to receive a green card in soccer. This memorable event occurred in October 2016 during an Italian Serie B match.
Galano showed exceptional sportsmanship when he told the referee that a goal-kick should be given instead of a corner kick.
As a result, he was awarded a green card, which is used in Italian Serie B to reward fair play and is also used in other tournaments outside of FIFA’s jurisdiction.
Born on April 1, 1991, in Foggia, Italy, Galano started his football career with Bari, a team based in the Apulia region. He made his debut for Bari in Serie B on May 23, 2009, in a match against Salernitana, where his team lost 2-3.
During the 2010 season, Galano was loaned to Gubbio, and he replaced Alessandro Marotta, who had returned to Bari.
At Gubbio, he became the third top scorer for the team, scoring five goals alongside Alfredo Donnarumma, while Juanito and Martino Borghese were ahead of him in scoring.
After his stint at Gubbio, Galano returned to Bari on July 1, 2011, and signed a new three-year contract with the club. Later, he extended his contract until June 30, 2016.
On August 31, 2015, he joined Vicenza Calcio on a temporary deal, with an obligation for the club to sign him permanently.
For the 2015-2016 Serie B season, he wore the number 19 shirt and then switched to the number 11 shirt during the first half of the 2016-2017 season.
It was with Vicenza that Galano received the first-ever green card. This green card initiative was introduced in Serie B to acknowledge acts of fair play on the field.
Galano’s gesture of fairness by correcting the referee’s decision led to this historical moment. On January 31, 2017, Galano returned to Bari on a temporary deal, which included an obligation for the club to sign him outright.
On the same day, his Vicenza teammate Filip Raičević also joined Bari. Galano’s performance at Bari was impressive, and on August 3, 2018, he signed a three-year contract with Serie A team Parma.
Shortly after, on August 17, 2018, he was loaned to Foggia, a Serie B side, with an option to buy. In June 2019, Galano signed with Pescara, where he continued to play for two seasons, showing good performance in both Serie B and Serie C.
On January 31, 2022, he returned to Bari on loan, with a conditional obligation to buy. Apart from his club career, Galano also had a notable international career.
He started with the Italy U-16 team and played in the Val-de-Marne under-16 international tournament. Though he was never capped for the U-17 team, he moved to the U-19 team in December 2008 and scored on his debut against Romania.
Galano was a regular member of the Italy U-18/19 team and played in several friendly matches and tournaments. During the 2009-2010 season, he was selected for the final round of the U-19 European Championship but the team did not advance far.
Galano also played for the Italy U-20 team during the 2010-2011 season in the Four Nations Tournament. He received a call-up from Ciro Ferrara for an under-21 training camp and an unofficial friendly against Bellinzona.
His overall performance includes numerous appearances and goals across various competitions. Galano’s career statistics include 369 appearances and 79 goals across different clubs and competitions.
He has also won several honors, including the Serie B title with Bari in 2008-2009 and the Serie C title in 2021-2022.