The pink card will be introduced at the Copa América, the CONMEBOL, the football association of South America, has announced. The pink card is intended in the event of a head injury to a player. Striking: when showing the pink card, the opponent is also allowed to make an extra substitution.

The rule that teams are allowed to make an extra substitution in the event of a head injury has already been introduced internationally. The pink card itself is new. When a player has suffered a head injury, the referee shows the pink card.

The pink card serves as confirmation that a team may make an extra substitution, on top of the maximum of five already allowed. A substitution due to a head injury is considered a 'white substitution', which means that it is not included in the sum of all substitutions during a match. This will not change during the Copa América.

However, the pink card does bring with it a striking new rule. Not only the team that receives the pink card may use a 'white substitution', but also the opponent. CONMEBOL thus wants to guarantee the fairness of the game.

This way it is easier to prevent a team from feigning a head injury in order to unlawfully obtain an extra substitution.

The team doctor must issue a detailed report on the condition of the head injured footballer within 24 hours of deploying the pink card.

The Copa América starts on June 20 (local date) with the opening match between Argentina and Canada. In the Netherlands, the match starts at 2:00 AM on the night of June 20 to 21.

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