CONMEBOL officially announced the implementation of the pink card for the Copa América 2024 as a way to increase player safety. This makes it the first tournament to integrate this new card that will serve to indicate the need to substitute a player on the field due to an apparent concussion (or contusion). After making its debut in the championship, the pink card protocol will be adopted by all of FIFA starting July 1, 2024. The organization’s initiative seeks to address concerns surrounding concussions in sport. The world’s major leagues have established measures to mitigate injuries of this type. For example, the Premier League allows substitutions for permanent concussions, preventing any team from losing an advantage due to the change. Similarly, leagues in other sports have implemented similar protocols, such as the NFL for American football and the NHL for ice hockey.
The pink card will join the well-known yellow cards (to caution) and red cards (to expel a player from the match), however it will not work in the same way. While the red and yellow are worn by the referees, the pink will be worn by the teams themselves. The card will also be used at the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
What is the pink card and what is it for?
The pink card indicates that there will be a substitution or change due to a concussion. This allows teams to make a change without affecting their five authorized substitutions per game. The pink card ensures greater safety for players who have suffered head injuries without taking away the advantage of the teams, since when an extra change is granted to the team whose player suffered the concussion, another change is also granted to the opposing team. .
How do you use the pink card?
When a team suspects that one of its players has a concussion, the team doctor must report it, which will lead to a substitution. While the new player enters, the other must immediately go to the team locker room for medical treatment. The doctor responsible for detecting the injury must also present a signed medical evaluation to the CONMEBOL medical team to confirm the player’s condition and whether he is fit to play. Once a player is substituted with a pink card, he is not allowed to return to the field during the same match.
The card may not be used during this championship, but we may see it in a future match organized by FIFA.
What is a concussion?
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, a contusion is an injury to the brain that results in temporary loss of normal brain functions. “Medically,” the organization notes, “it is defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by an immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including an alteration in mental status or level of consciousness, resulting from trauma or mechanical force. ”
Contusions are caused by direct trauma to the head, which can happen from falling, being hit, or suffering from an accident. In football there is a high risk of suffering blows to the head. Although it is believed that bruises cause loss of consciousness, this is not the case, and blood must not be present for it to be considered a concussion.
The pink card should not be confused with the white card, which is one that has been used by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) to recognize and reward the fair game, that is, the ethically correct behaviors of coaches, players, and even medical teams. This card has not yet been included in the laws of the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
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