First use of green card by ref in CONIFA match

The green card is designed to stamp out incidents of diving or dissent, and made a first appearance in a match between Padania, who present a region of northern Italy and Polynesian island nation side Tuvalu.

According to CONIFA regulations: ''A player who receives a green card must leave the field of play immediately, but can be replaced if his team have not used all of their substitutes. A player receiving a green card is not excluded from his team's next match.'' 

Referee Raymond Mashamba showed two green cards within quick succession, initially to a Tuvalu midfielder and then promptly afterwards to Padania's Stefano Baldan. Padania went on to claim a 8-0 victory and progress to the quarter-finals.

Tournament organiser Paul Watson told 'Sky Sports': ''We'd really like to clamp down on the dissent problem. Football has a problem with the lack of respect for referees. That's not to say that isn't also the case in CONIFA games - the players in our tournament still have those traits.''

''But it would be nice that, instead of it being ignored and therefore in a way condoned, it shouldn't necessarily cost someone their chance to play at this tournament, if they just lose their cool.'' 

His view was echoed by CONIFA's Asia president, Jens Jockel, who said: ''It's a really good idea of how to sanction things that might not be worthy of a red card. More like personal mistakes - using swear words, disrespecting spectators and coaches and so on.''