Uruguay trials electronic device to replace traditional football yellow and red cards

An electronic device was tested in Uruguay to replace traditional yellow and red cards during a football match in an effort to modernise refereeing. Match official Eduardo Varela used the phone-sized device during a Copa Uruguay game between Nacional and Rentistas earlier this week on Thursday, registering disciplinary decisions digitally instead of flashing physical cards.

The system was developed by REFe, a company whose directors, Mauro Sacco and Diego de la Pena, conceived the idea over three years ago after watching a match in the rain where officials struggled to record bookings manually before transferring them to digital systems. The technology records bookings with timestamps to simplify administrative work and streamline the submission of official records to the Uruguayan Football Association's COMET platform.

While Varela found the device comfortable to use, he noted that it lacked the traditional theatrics, stating that a little of the magic of the quick card is lost. Furthermore, the tests revealed visibility issues, as sunlight made the screen hard to see for fans and television viewers alike.

De la Pena acknowledged that the project has room for improvement and must be refined so that the yellow and red colours remain clearly visible to everyone on the ground and on television. REFe aims to improve the technology and ultimately see it adopted by CONMEBOL, the South American governing body, and FIFA, the world governing body.