First-ever white card shown in football during Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica women’s cup match

For the first time ever in football, a white card was issued in a women’s cup match between Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica on Saturday.

Representative Image: Referee Catarina Campos showed the white card to both teams in a gesture that recognised acts of fair play in the sport. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

For the first time in football, a white card was issued in a women’s cup match between Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica on Saturday.

The card was shown after medical staff from both clubs rushed to help a fan who had fainted in the stands as Benfica led 3-0 in the first half.

Referee Catarina Campos showed the white card to both teams in a gesture that recognised acts of fair play in the sport.

The gesture invited applause from the fans at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, who cheered the decision.

Benfica went on to win the match 3-0.

The cup match also saw a new record being created in women’s football in Portugal. 15,032 fans turned up for the match, beating the previous record of 14,221 seen in May last year.

The white card was introduced as part of an initiative of Portugal’s National Plan for Ethics in Sport to encourage fair play and has been approved by the Portuguese Football Federation.

So far only Portugal has adopted the white card, which is a contrast to the yellow and red cards that are used to discipline players.