Jurgen Klopp pans football's new blue card plan as 'too complicated'

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has panned the concept of a new blue card in football and claimed law-makers IFAB have never come up with any good ideas.

Klopp joined fans and pundits in the backlash against the blue card and 10-minute sin-bin idea put forward by the International Football Association Board this week.

A broader trial had been planned - potentially in FA Cup games - next season after sin-bins had been introduced in some youth and amateur matches.

The idea was unlikely to be introduced into professional football for some time but Klopp made clear his belief a third card would complicate things.

'The actual situation shows we should keep it as simple as possible for the referees,' the German said at his press conference ahead of Saturday's home game with Burnley.

'It is a difficult job, often quite emotional when we speak about it because it's most often after the game.

'I think the introduction of a new card would just give more opportunities to fail as well because the discussion will be: 'It was a blue card, it should have been a yellow card, now he has 10 minutes off. In other times it would have been a red card, or would have been only a yellow. Whatever.'

'These kind of things just make it more complicated. They want to test it, I have no problem with testing but if that is the first step towards agreeing or already being sure it will happen, but I don't know about it.

'It doesn't sound like a fantastic idea in the first moment but actually I can't remember when the last fantastic idea came from these guys, if they ever had one - IFAB. I am 56, nah, never.'

The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday that plans for the blue card trial had been 'thrown into doubt' after strong resistance within the game.

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