On Saturday, history was made in the world of women’s football as a white card was issued for the first time ever during a cup match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.
The card was presented by referee Catarina Campos in recognition of an act of fair play when medical staff from both teams rushed to assist a fan who had fainted in the stands during the first half of the game, with Benfica leading 3-0.
The crowd at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon cheered and applauded the decision, highlighting the importance of sportsmanship in the game.
Additionally, the match also saw a new record being set as 15,032 fans attended, surpassing the previous record of 14,221 set in May of the previous year.
As equipas médicas de Benfica e Sporting receberam cartão branco após assistirem uma pessoa que se sentiu mal na bancada 👏 pic.twitter.com/ihin0FAlJF
— B24 (@B24PT) January 21, 2023
The white card is a part of Portugal’s National Plan for Ethics in Sport and has been approved by the Portuguese Football Federation.
It is intended to encourage fair play, and so far, Portugal is the only country to have adopted this new form of disciplinary action, contrasting with the yellow and red cards commonly used to discipline players.
