FIFA is set to revise the regulations regarding suspensions due to accumulated yellow cards at this summer’s World Cup.
According to BBC Sport, the governing body of world football intends to introduce a second amnesty phase, which would clear all yellow cards at the conclusion of the group stage, in addition to after the quarter-finals.
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Currently, a team must play five matches to reach the quarter-finals, and receiving two yellow cards during those games results in a suspension.
The upcoming World Cup will feature 48 teams instead of the previous 32, adding an extra round, leading to concerns that the risk of suspension has become too significant.
FIFA worries that without changing the rules, a greater number of players could find themselves at risk of suspension by the time they play six matches, potentially missing out on a semi-final.
It is believed that having two cut-off points is a more equitable solution—designed to reduce the likelihood of suspensions affecting crucial matches—rather than raising the threshold for a ban to three yellow cards.
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This issue is slated for discussion during the FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday.
The threshold for suspension will continue to be two yellow cards, but the proposed rule change means there will only be two specific instances where players could incur a ban.
A player would need to receive cautions in two of the three group matches, or in two of the matches during the round of 32, round of 16, and quarter-finals, to be at risk of missing a game.