Mauricio Pochettino echoed Klopp’s thoughts, saying: “I think it is going to create more divides, be more complicated to the referees, the players and the fans. My feeling now is that it’s not a good idea but we’ll see what happens.
“Give it an opportunity to see how it works and after to have a better idea about how they want to apply it during the game.
Ange Postecoglou questioned the need for blue cards, saying: “I struggle to understand why this urgency all of a sudden to bring in new things. I don’t know that there’s much wrong with the game.
“I don’t know why a different colour card is going to make any difference.
“I struggle from this taking from other sports. Most of the other sports are trying to introduce rules that will speed up and unclutter their game. We’re going the other way and I don’t know why because that’s always been the difference between football and the other sports.”
Mikel Arteta said the tests need to be rigorous before blue cards are introduced into the elite game, saying: “I don’t know if we’re going to get there. We’ve got a lot going on now with decisions, with technology – I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet!
“Hopefully it’s going to be tested very, very well before it’s introduced at this level.”
Jonas Eidevall suggested the lack of application of the rule preventing goalkeepers from holding the ball for more than six seconds was a bigger issue, saying: “There is one rule in football that takes time into account as a consequence at the moment – it’s the amount of time that the goalkeeper can control the ball with his or her hands. That’s very clearly stipulated in the law of the game that it needs to be six seconds.
“If you see how that law is followed by the referees, I think that there’s room for improvement.”
Brendan Rodgers joked the introduction of a blue card would cause additional problems in Scotland, with the Celtic boss saying: “As soon as I saw it I thought ‘I work in Scotland so I’m sure they better have a green card as well as a blue one or we might be in trouble’.
“Just don’t complicate it. Just make a decision whether it’s a red, yellow or no card. We don’t need a blue card up here, that’s for sure.”
ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
