Phil Babb Brands Blue Cards "An Absolutely Ridiculous Idea"

Gambling.com sat down with former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland defender Phil Babb ahead of this weekend’s Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea.

Betting sites have the Reds as the favourites in the match, and it might be the last final in the competition's history without the prospective introduction of the blue card.

A blue card, similar to a sin-bin in rugby, results in a player being sent off the pitch for 10 minutes if they use dissent or commit a cynical foul.

Chelsea have received a total of 78 yellow cards so far this season - the most in the Premier League - and they could be one of the teams heavily impacted by its introduction.

Babb, however, has been retired since 2004 so he needn’t worry about the introduction of any new rules or regulations to the game.

But, when we asked the 53-year-old his opinion on the potential of blue cards being introduced to the game he was not one to mince his words.

“It's just an absolutely ridiculous idea,” Babb told us.

“I feel that IFAB go off to Geneva and they have their grey suits on, and they sit around and have their little sandwiches and a chat and try to invent something that doesn't need to be mended to justify their salaries.”

Should the law be approved, the blue card would be the most significant change with regards to player discipline since introduction of red and yellow cards, which were first used at the 1970 World Cup.

However, this does provide yet another angle for betting apps, who will no doubt offer odds on who the first recipient of a blue card may be.

Babb added: “You don't need it. Your yellow card is your caution, mess up again and you get another one and you are off, and that's it. Sin bins? No.”

Reports have suggested that the same rules will apply to goalkeepers, with outfield players having to don the gloves unless a substitution is made.

Despite these reports, nothing is set in stone and Babb went on to query: “Are you going to sin bin a goalkeeper? What do you do then? Do we have rush goalies? Do you bring a sub on?

“I mean you are just opening a can of worms that doesn't need to be opened! Leave that alone, you have enough problems with VAR.”

If these new rules come into force, we could see an astronomical number of players sent off in the early stages as players get to grips with the new ruling.

The proposed changes come eight years after VAR was introduced to the game, which many fans and players still have conflicting opinions on.

This weekend's final, will use VAR for decisions throughout the match. Finalists Liverpool were among the top three Premier League clubs to benefit from its usage during the 2022/23 season.

According to football betting sites, Chelsea are the 4/6 favourites to receive the first card on Sunday, with the Reds available at 7/5.

According to The Telegraph, in positive news for Premier League managers and fans who have opposed the idea, proposals from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) have now been put on the back-burner following the growing opposition to the idea.

Nevertheless, it's a time for football fans to cherish as the blue card could be introduced into the wonderful game in the not so distant future.