Fans divided as referees will be handed revolutionary blue cards which could be used in the FA Cup next year.

Football will introduce a revolutionary blue card as an additional disciplinary measure in matches.

Current rules allow referees to issue a yellow card as a warning, and two yellow cards equal a red card, which sends off the player.

However, the International Football Association Board will now engage in sin-bin testing, where a blue card causes a player to be removed from the game for ten minutes.

This punishment would come into force if a player committed a cynical foul or showed disagreement with a match referee.

Similar to a yellow card, the new rules would make two blue cards equal to one red card, and a combination of a blue and a yellow card would also result in a player being sent off.

Trials of the new punishment could begin as soon as this summer, with FA Cup and Women's FA Cup matches a potential platform for the use of blue cards.

Top-level competitions, including the Premier League and WSL, will be excluded from the initial trials.

Unsurprisingly, supporters had pretty strong opinions on the rule change.

YouTuber and talkSPORT presenter Mark Goldbridge posted on

“They can't even understand what yellow and red are…why are people obsessed with fixing things that aren't broken?”

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One fan wrote: “OMG. When are they going to realize no one is asking for this?”

Another said: “They try to improve the game when they need to improve the referees.”

A third fan commented: “So now referees get to choose what cynical fouls are? Let's make a job they can't do anymore even more confusing, okay?”

Meanwhile, a fourth fan said: “What is this ridiculous obsession with constantly trying to change football? I'm so fed up!”

But some fans believe the idea isn't that bad.

One said: “Okay, a blue card color seems a bit silly, but I think the rubbish bins will be a good thing.

“I feel there is always a default reaction of thinking that everything new in football is bad. Cynical fouls reduce the number of goals scored and dissent is something that needs to be reduced.”

A second follower commented: “A blue card will be introduced in football as part of the 'sin-bin' trials! Good move by the football organiser.”

Another added: “Would be nice to see what getting a blue card would mean…sounds sensible.”