The Red and Yellow cards are the most popular cards in different sporting disciplines, especially football.
Most people including those who do not follow the beautiful game are aware of the meaning behind these two cards.
However, a historic moment happened on Saturday, January 21, when the first White card was issued in a women’s match between Portuguese rivals Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.
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Catarina Campos, the referee who officiated the match, showed a White card to the medics of both clubs after they saved the life of one of the fans who had fainted.
Her action was met by thunderous claps from the over 15,000 supporters who had graced the match held at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
Although they appreciated Campos’ actions, most of them perhaps did not have any clue as to what the card meant.
What does it mean to be shown a White card?
The White card was proposed by the Portugal National Plan for Ethics in Sport and approved by the nation's football federation.
It is used to appreciate good actions or recognize fair play. However, when someone or a group of people are shown the White card they do not get any reward.
Apart from Portugal, no other federation in the world has approved the use of the White card.
In the case of Kenya, a decision is yet to be made on whether to introduce the card in domestic matches.
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