The blue card arrived in Argentine football and the first appeared in the duel between students and Belgrano: what is its function

Within the framework of the Blue Week 2025, a global campaign that seeks to increase the visibility of Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), the Professional Soccer League will implement an unprecedented action: the introduction of the Blue card of awareness of autism in the matches of date 12 of the Opening Tournament. This symbolic gesture aims to promote inclusion and dialogue in sport, taking advantage of the vast soccer audience to promote a message of coexistence and empathy.

The initiative, which began to be implemented this Friday at the Duel Students of La Plata and Belgrano, It will take place in all the meetings of this twelfth day. In the draw prior to each game, the referees will deliver the blue card to the team captains, reinforcing the purpose of making autism visible. This action will culminate on Saturday 5 with the “Autism without limits” festival in the Planetarium of Buenos Aires.

Unlike traditional football cards, the blue card does not have a disciplinary purpose. Its purpose is to convey a message of inclusion, as opposed to the expulsion of a player. According to the organizers, the campaign motto emphasizes that “Better to expel is to include.”

Paulo Morales, president of Teactiva, highlighted the importance of joint work that allowed the concretion of this action, pointing out that autism experience teaches every day about the need to work as a team. The blue week, which is celebrated between March 29 and April 5, brings together various organizations under the motto #Let’s speak of autism and seeks to generate a space for reflection and awareness about this condition, which It affects 1 in 36 children in the world.

In addition, during the week, Independiente inaugurated a sensory box in its stadium, designed for people with autism and other neurodivergencies. This is the third of its kind in Argentine football, together with the Institute and River Plate, and was possible thanks to the collaboration between the club, the Bef Foundation, theactive, and the initiative of Rodrigo Rey, captain of Independiente, who promoted the project in honor of his son Benicio, diagnosed with autism. These types of spaces seek to sensitize society and guarantee the inclusion of people with ASD in sporting events.