Italy: Serie B introduces "green card" to reward acts of respect and fair play on the pitch

The referees in the Serie B will be able to distribute "green cards" to reward acts of fair play observed on the pitch during matches in the 2015-16 season, announced the Lega Nazionale Professionisti B on 03/09/2015. The initiative should be implemented for the first time during Matchday 6 of the championship, scheduled for 03/10/2015.

The green card has already been tested in Italy in youth championships, and aims to highlight acts of "exceptional fair play". In the Serie B, the "green cards" will not be awarded during the match, but rather by the referees at the end of the contest.

"This green card only has a symbolic value, otherwise we would have had to request a change in the rules of football. It is an initiative of our ethics committee, which aims to promote special gestures. We will not reward someone who rolled the ball into touch when an opponent is injured, but someone who performs in a way that promotes respect and fair play," stated Andrea Abodi, president of the Lega Nazionale Professionisti B, on 04/09/2015.

• The 2015-16 Serie B Italian second division. 22 teams. …