From the Vancouver Council meeting to the pitches of North America, Yankee Scores breaks down FIFA’s ‘Double Amnesty’ rule designed to keep the world’s best players on the field when it matters most.

Suspensions for accumulated yellow cards will no longer be applied at this summer’s World Cup.

Two Clean Slates Instead of One

The world football’s governing body, FIFA is planning to add a second amnesty stage, wiping all yellow cards at the end of the group stage as well as after the quarter-finals.

Under current rules a team would play five matches to reach the quarter-finals, and any two bookings in those games would lead to a suspension.

Ending the 6-Game “Tightrope”

The revamped World Cup, with 48 teams instead of 32, includes an extra round and it is felt the jeopardy for a ban is too high.

Without a change to the regulations, Fifa fears that many more players would be walking a suspension tightrope by playing six fixtures through to the last eight – and potentially miss a semi-final.

Fairness Over Flexibility

It is felt that two cut-offs are fairer – and less likely to result in suspensions for key games – than increasing the number of cards required for a ban to three.

The topic is on the agenda for discussion when the Fifa Council meets in Vancouver, Canada on Tuesday.

Two bookings will remain the suspension threshold, but the rule change will mean there are only two small pockets of games for players to pick up a ban.

It would require cautions in two of the three group games, or in two of the last 32, last 16 and the quarter-finals, to miss a match.