TODAY'S MENU:
LEBOEUF AU CARTON BLEU
36
More and more countries are actively en
couraging Fair Play. In a previous UEFA
Champions League match programme
Finland's idea of the Green Card was
put forward. Now, the French feder
ation (FFF) - maybe influenced by the
colour of the national team's shirt-has in
troduced the Blue Card.
The «Carton Bleu» is a Fair Play award
based on the criteria of the three match
officials and the federation delegate.
Each team is given from 0-15 points for
the players' behaviour; 0-5 for blub of
ficials' attitudes; and 0-10 for behaviour
on the substitutes' bench. Two points are
deducted for every yellow card and five
for a red.
The incentives come in two tangible forms.
Although league matches are also as
sessed according to Blue Card criteria,
the FFF decided to apply the scheme to
the Cup, with the top two clubs in the
Carton Bleu ranking at the end of each
round winning cash prizes of 50,000 and
30,000 francs respectively on condition
that the money is used to benefit the club's
Youth department.
The other incentive is that, in the draws right
through to the quarter-finals, the team
which is higher in the Carton Bleu ranking
is given home advantage - and the privi
lege of playing at home is an incentive
worth working for.
The highest-placed non-professional side
also wins 50,000 francs, a trophy and
exemption from the first four rounds of next
season's Cup. The Blue Card scheme is
also being applied to national champi
onships at Under-15 and Under-17 level.
Franck Leboeuf, the captain of Racing Stras
bourg, as well the goalkeeper, the Slovakian in
ternational Alexander Vencel, were more fright
ened than hurt in this situation against AC Milan
in the UEFA Cup this season.
Photo: Christian Liewig (Temp Sport)
One of the first Carton Bleu gestures to hit
the headlines in the French press involved
international defender Franck Leboeuf.
His club, Racing Strasbourg, had been
given a seemingly easy draw against the
lowest-placed survivors in the competition
- Poissy, a mid-table side from one of the
four regional groupings in the National 2 cat
egory. In other countries they might be
classed as fourth division opposition. But
Poissy gave their first division opponents
a real test, holding on to a 0-0 scoreline through
extra-time and forcing a penalty shoot-out.
It was up to Leboeuf to convert the deci
sive penalty. But when the Strasbourg
skipper did so, theve was no headless-chicken
run round the pitch to celebrate. Instead,
he walked towards the international referee
Philippe Leduc, handed him his shirt and
quietly left the pitch. In other words, he
opted for dignified behaviour which showed
the utmost respect for Strasbourg's plucky
opponents.
