FIFA is reportedly reviewing a major adjustment to its disciplinary rules ahead of the expanded FIFA World Cup, with the aim of reducing the number of players missing matches due to accumulated yellow cards.
According to BBC Sport, the proposal includes introducing a second “amnesty point” during the tournament, which would see all yellow cards wiped both after the group stage and again following the quarter-finals.
At present, players are automatically suspended if they pick up two yellow cards across different matches, a rule that has sometimes ruled key players out of important knockout games.
With the World Cup expanding from 32 to 48 teams, the tournament format will include more matches, with teams potentially playing up to six games before reaching the semi-finals. FIFA is concerned that this longer pathway increases the likelihood of players being suspended for relatively minor offences at crucial stages.
Rather than raising the threshold to three yellow cards, officials are said to prefer a system that resets cautions at two points in the competition. Under the plan, bookings would only count within shorter phases—either the group stage or the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—before being cleared.
The intention is to maintain disciplinary standards while also ensuring that major fixtures are not heavily affected by the absence of star players due to earlier cautions.
The proposal is expected to come before an upcoming FIFA Council meeting, where a final decision could be taken.
