Not a yellow card, not a red card, but a white card…a rare sight to behold

The “white card” has arrived.

“A Portuguese fifth division player was shown a white card by the referee after showing sportsmanship,” the UK’s Daily Mail reported. In the match, an opposing defender made a mistake inside the penalty box and gave the ball to the opposition, and while many players had golden chances to score, one striker took a shot off target and helped a defender in pain to get medical attention,” according to a heartwarming scene from the Portuguese fifth division.

“This act of sportsmanship was applauded by the fans in attendance, and the referee approached the player and pulled out a white card. The white card was introduced as part of Portugal’s national plan for sports ethics, in an attempt to improve fair play in the game. This was an appropriate situation for the use of a white card,” said the referee, explaining that the player was given a white card.

The striker shook hands with the referee, while the medical team tended to the injured player. It’s a rare sight to see a player choose to give up a goal scoring opportunity and allow an opposing player to receive medical attention. The referee made the right call on the player’s behavior, which is a great example of sportsmanship. 안전놀이터

The Daily Mail explains that while this is the first time a white card has been used in men’s soccer, it has been used once before in women’s soccer. “In January, a match between Sporting Lisbon and SL Benfica was stopped after someone on the bench complained of pain. After the matter was dealt with, the referee showed a white card to the medical staffs of both teams, who gathered to resolve the issue, while fans in the stands applauded,” referring to a previous instance.

White cards are something that former UEFA president Michel Platini wanted to introduce. However, Platini wanted to use it as a punishment, and argued that a player should be removed from the game for 10 minutes if they receive a white card, similar to the rugby rule.