FIFA is set to change the rules regarding yellow card suspensions for the upcoming World Cup, according to sources familiar with the matter. The governing body plans to add a second amnesty stage, wiping all yellow cards at the end of the group stage in addition to the existing reset after the quarter-finals.
Under the current system, a player who receives two yellow cards over the course of five matches (group stage to quarter-finals) would be suspended for the semi-final. With the expanded 48-team tournament introducing an additional round, FIFA fears that more players could be walking a suspension tightrope, potentially missing crucial knockout matches.
By adding a group-stage amnesty, players who pick up a booking in the group phase will have their slate wiped clean before the knockout rounds. This reduces the risk of suspensions for the later stages without needing to increase the yellow card threshold to three.
The proposed change will be discussed at the FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday. If approved, two yellow cards would still result in a ban, but only if both are accumulated within the same block of matches: either three group games or the three matches from the last 32 to the quarter-finals.
"It is felt that two cut-offs are fairer - and less likely to result in suspensions for key games," a source told BBC Sport.