Pink Card Alert! Copa America 2024 Prioritizes Player Safety with New Concussion Rule

Ref­er­ees are pulling out a new card this sum­mer — and it’s not yel­low or red! The Copa Amer­i­ca 2024, held in the USA, will see the intro­duc­tion of the pink card. This inno­v­a­tive rule sig­nals a sus­pect­ed con­cus­sion, allow­ing teams to make an addi­tion­al sub­sti­tu­tion with­out impact­ing their reg­u­lar quota.

What is the Pink Card?

The pink card sig­ni­fies a poten­tial head injury. Upon show­ing it, the ref­er­ee or fourth offi­cial informs the team and allows a con­cus­sion sub­sti­tute. As a bal­anc­ing act, the oppos­ing team gets an extra sub­sti­tu­tion as well.

This rule aligns with the grow­ing focus on play­er safe­ty in foot­ball. While FIFA allows per­ma­nent con­cus­sion sub­sti­tu­tions, the pink card offers a unique approach.

Pri­or­i­tiz­ing Play­er Safe­ty in Copa America

The 16-team Copa Amer­i­ca, held from June 20th to July 14th in the USA, pri­or­i­tizes play­er well-being with the pink card. This ini­tia­tive reflects CON­MEBOL’s com­mit­ment to pro­tect­ing ath­letes on the pitch.