A women’s game featuring Sporting CP and Benfica back in January had the first-ever white card shown in any football game.
It was the semi-final first leg of the Taça da Liga Feminina in Lisbon, where the referee Catarina Campos showed the white card for the first time.
In the 44th minute, a female fan in the crowd complained that she was not feeling well and medical staff from both teams moved quickly to help out.
In recognition of their sportsmanship, the official awarded a white card to those involved and was cheered and applauded by the 15,000 fans in attendance at the Estadio da Luz.
The white card is designed to show recognition to clubs for acts of fair play and sportsmanship during a match.
It is an initiative of Portugal’s National Plan for Ethics in Sport (PNED) to influence practice sports with fair play, and the actions have been encouraged by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) in their tournaments.
At present, the white card remains confined to Portugal as it is yet to be approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
