Have you just begun playing the fantasy football? Have you made your fantasy football league team? Can you imagine a football game without the coloured cards? We see every time a footballer misbehaves in the field during an ongoing match.
No, modern soccer world cannot imagine playing without red and yellow card, also known as the penalty cards. Ken Aston was famous English referee of the infamous football match of 1962 World Cup in Chile. He was the inventor of these cards.
Red and yellow cards oftentimes used for deciding vital match results. These cards have the power of switching the mood of the football field in split of few seconds. Perhaps from a cheering crowd to miserable. Observing how often clash occurs during a tense match; it seems hard to believe, yellow and red card system only started being used from about 48 years ago.
Why were the cards invented?
During the 1962 World Cup in Chile, a vicious fight broke out between Italy and Chile. It proved as one of the most horrible brawls in football history. Ken Aston forced to whistle the first foul 12 seconds into the match and again at the 12-minute mark when he decided to take away Giorgio Ferrini, a footballer from the Italian team, from the football field. The non-English-speaking player could not understand Aston’s request and denied to leave the field, growing more and more violent and upset until he finally forced off with the help of the cop. Ken Aston realized the need of a system punishing players for bad sportsmanship. For the language barriers, it was tough for referees to send the players away only with words.
When Ken Aston returned home, drawn to a set of traffic lights where he inspired to invent the red and yellow cards. He figured that two cards and colours would be a clear code for players who did not speak the same language, as the colours universally understood. The red and yellow card system was first used at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and they are still used in every football match today.
Enjoy reading and playing fantasy football!