Match officials in Uruguay are trialling a new electronic card system that replaces the traditional plastic yellow and red cards with a digital device similar to a mobile phone. The initial trial took place during the Copa Uruguay match between Nacional and Rentistas, which Nacional won 3-0 at home.
The system was originally scheduled to be tested at the end of September during the Defensor Sporting-Plaza Colonia Copa match, but the referee was unable to use it because poor lighting conditions made the colors hard to distinguish. During Thursday's trial, similar complaints emerged, with attendees again struggling to distinguish the colors on the device.
The device has two buttons, one for showing a yellow card and another for a red card. It automatically records cautions, send-offs, substitutions and other match incidents, transmitting the information in real time to COMET, the digital platform used by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) to manage match data.
For now, the digital card system remains in a testing phase, with visibility identified as one of the areas that still needs improvement.
