Mesut Ozil Aims Cheeky Dig at Atletico Madrid Over New Blue Card Trial

• Blue cards and sin-bin trials are nearing implementation
• It will result in a player being expelled for 10 minutes
• Mesut Ozil poked fun at Atletico Madrid's aggressive style

Mesut Ozil took a playful swipe at Atletico Madrid's aggressive playing style in response to the announcement of an upcoming trial involving sin-bins and blue cards.

Reports emerged on Thursday detailing plans for a football trial that would introduce a sin-bin system, utilising distinctive blue cards to temporarily remove players from the field for 10 minutes as a consequence for either committing a deliberate foul or showing dissent towards an official.

In light of this development, former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder Ozil humorously suggested that Atletico Madrid, known for their combative tactics under manager Diego Simeone, might find themselves frequently experiencing periods where multiple players are sidelined.

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Taking to X, he wrote: "So Atletico Madrid will only play with 6 players then?"

What the blue cards will be used for

The rationale for implementing blue cards revolves around the idea that tactical fouling will decrease, as the advantage of, for instance, strategically halting a counter-attack would no longer outweigh the penalty.

In the past, players would willingly accept a yellow card to thwart a potential goal-scoring chance, as illustrated by Italy's Giorgio Chiellini pulling Bukayo Saka's shirt to halt an England attack during the Euro 2020 final.

Referees this season have intensified efforts to curb dissent, resorting to issuing yellow cards to players who excessively protest, but there's an optimistic outlook that blue cards will entirely eliminate such behaviour.

According to the new protocol, if a player accumulates two blue cards in a match, an automatic red card will be issued.

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Likewise, should a player receive both a blue card and a yellow card within the same game, a red card will be forthcoming, as reported by the Telegraph.

When will the blue card take effect

According to the Daily Star, the innovative new system, slated for official announcement by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on Friday, will first undergo trials at lower levels. If these trials prove successful, the system could potentially be implemented in elite competitions like the FA Cup as soon as the next season. Pending successful trials, blue cards are expected to become a standard feature across all levels of football worldwide.

Drawing inspiration from the successful implementation of a sin-bin system in rugby over many years, IFAB aims to adopt another of the sport's regulations. This would entail only team captains being permitted to communicate with referees regarding decisions.

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Sports Brief has also reported on the biggest VAR victims this season, with Liverpool leading the pack. Jurgen Klopp's charges have been undone by decisions the most alongside Brighton and Wolves.

The stark case of the season was when Luis Daiz's goal against Tottenham Hotspur was wrongly chalked off for offside on September 30 last year. They lost the game 2-1.