Menpora U-14 Football Cup Introduces 'Green Card' to Promote Fair Play
Jakarta. The Menpora U-14 Football Cup will kick off in May with thousands of young Indonesian footballers participating to help promote fair play and develop players with commendable character.
The Menpora Cup — named after the Indonesian abbreviation for the Youth and Sports Minister — is tailored to encourage young footballers' mental development at the grassroots level.
"We want to groom players with strong character. That's why we're focusing on mental development instead of just the football," Teguh Raharjo, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Sports Center and School Development, told the Jakarta Globe at the Sports Ministry office in South Jakarta on Wednesday (29/03).
Last year's championship attracted more than 3,500 teams from 275 districts. "West Java won it last year," Teguh said.
"This year, 358 districts will take part. That's around 75,000 footballers, I've never heard of a bigger championship at youth level," he added.
The championship will introduce a "green card" to encourage fair play on the pitch. The card is awarded to players who have shown fairness and integrity on the pitch, such as admitting to a foul.
The green card was first introduced in Italy's second-tier Serie B last year. Vicenza's Cristian Galano became the first player to be awarded the green card after admitting that no one from the opposing team had actually touched the ball when Vicenza was awarded a corner kick.
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