When Boca Juniors played Benfica, Cesar Alvaro Ramos displayed the previously unseen card.
During the Boca Juniors vs. Benfica match, a Club World Cup referee displayed a card that had never been seen before.
Three players, including former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, were sent off in a fierce contest.
The Spanish midfielder was substituted out after 20 minutes due to injury, but he got into a physical conflict with a security guard before halftime when he attempted to challenge a penalty call against Boca.
Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi’s goals helped Benfica rally from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score at 2-2.
In addition to the outcome, there was another noteworthy event that occurred during the game that has never been witnessed in football.
Referee Cesar Alvaro Ramos sent Boca defender Jorge Figal off with a prayer card rather than a red card.
The card featured Our Lady of Guadalupe, a manifestation of the Virgin Mary who is revered as Mexico’s patroness and a potent national emblem of Mexican Catholicism and identity.
According to Britannica, she was named patroness of Mexico City in 1737. A few years later, the lands of New Spain, which included a portion of modern-day California, accepted her patronage.
With hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting her shrine in Mexico City annually, her prominence has also contributed to the promotion of Mexican nationalism and identity.
Using one finger, Ramos drew the card back into his pocket after he unintentionally displayed it when sending off Figal.
Although each of the other rare cards in football has its own set of restrictions, this is not the only one.
A player who receives a green card is required to leave the field right away, however if a team has any substitutes left, they may be substituted.
The card, which made its debut at the 2016 CONIFA World Football Cup, a competition for teams not connected with FIFA, is not, however, officially utilized by FIFA.
Additionally, the first-ever white card was given out in a women’s match between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica in 2023.
After helping a sick supporter in the stands, the medical staffs of both teams were presented the card, which was created to encourage fair play in football.
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