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History Made As Referee Shows WHITE Card During Benfica Vs Sporting Lisbon

A referee in Portugal made history at the weekend by showing the first ever white card during a Women's Cup game between Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Robert Summerscales

History Made As Referee Shows WHITE Card During Benfica Vs Sporting Lisbon
History Made As Referee Shows WHITE Card During Benfica Vs Sporting Lisbon /

A referee in Portugal made history at the weekend by showing the first ever white card during a Women's Cup game between Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Yellow and red cards have been used to punish players for decades but the Portuguese soccer federation recently introduced a white card to give referees the option to reward acts of fair play and ethical actions.

Towards the end of the first half in Saturday's game, with Benfica leading 3-0, someone in the dugout area fell ill.

Medical staff from both clubs rushed to provide aid and it was this act that saw the referee show a white card to both teams.

The response from the medical staff and the referee's decision to reward them with a white card drew applause from fans at the Estadio da Luz.

Benfica won the match 5-0.

A referee pictured showing a white card during a Women's Cup game between Benfica and Sporting Lisbon in January 2023
A referee pictured showing a white card during a Women's Cup game between Benfica and Sporting Lisbon / Canal 11
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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.