Green Card Introduced in Morocco’s U-20 World Cup Game: What is it?

The historic moment happened during Morocco’s group stage game against Spain on Sept. 28 after the referee whistled a penalty to Spain.

After taking a quick glance at the pitch-side monitor, the referee changed his mind and issued a yellow card for simulation to the Spanish player.

This was the first time in any FIFA competition that a team’s challenge led to a change in an on-field decision. Morocco won the match 2–0 and the green card is already the most discussed innovation in football.

The green card is part of FIFA’s plan to provide video review systems to competitions that cannot afford full VAR technology.

Under the Fair Video System (FVS), each side has up to two green card challenges in each match, which can be used to review goals, penalties, direct red cards, or cases of mistaken identity. If the challenge is successful and the referee changes his decision, the team keeps the challenge. If it’s not successful, the team loses it.

🟩👀

Morocco U-20 became the first team to use the green card, when their manager showed it to contest a penalty. After review, the referee overturned his decision!@richardajkeys & Andy Gray discuss 👇#FIFAU20WC pic.twitter.com/SPW6i6GZL3

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) October 5, 2025

FVS vs VAR — the practical differences

• Who watches: VAR consists of a team of video match officials (VMOs) who are watching the match in real time. FVS does not have that same level of coverage and the referee and replay operator only view and review if a coach or referee requests a review.
• Who can start a review: In VAR, the review process can be initiated by the VAR team and/or the referee. In FVS, a coach can request a review through a green card, or the referee can request a review, but there is no off-field official monitoring.
• Cameras and angles: VAR uses many cameras and specialized angles for potential offsides, for example. FVS uses fewer cameras, typically three to five, so it’s only for clear and obvious errors and not for every single marginal decision.
• Cost and size: VAR requires significant infrastructure and staff. FVS is low-cost and portable.

As seen on Morocco’s U20 game, FVS is built to be cheaper and simpler than a VAR system, using only a few cameras and a replay operator compared to a set of dedicated off-pitch video referees. The aim for FIFA is to make video assistance available in youth tournaments at the amateur level and in small leagues where the cost of VAR systems has been an obstacle.

FIFA has focused on making it a fairer, less complicated process on every field. Early indications are good: the referees liked the clarity of it and the coaches liked the opportunity to challenge important decisions. Will it keep working and stick? Only time will tell. Either way, Morocco will be remembered for its role in the sport’s major officiating experiments.