The new frontier of technology applied to football are cards that are no longer physical, but electronic. They are displayed through a device that resembles a smartphone, but with which you cannot make calls. The device has the function of displaying yellow or red, as the case may be, to indicate the penalized or excluded player, as well as recording the name of the latter, in addition to performing other very useful functions for the referee.
This happened in Uruguay, where the referee surprised everyone present by using the device during the round of 16 match of the National Cup between Nacional and Rentistas, won 3-0 by the first team. Eduardo Varela, 39, tested the device in the 12th minute, when he punished Juan Pablo Plada of Rentistas with a yellow card. This was, therefore, the first digital card in the history of football. Then, during the match there were other yellow card penalties, until just before the final whistle, Nacional's Nahuel Gelos was sent off. He was also shown what in all respects resembles a mobile phone, this time with a completely red screen.
no puedo creer que en uruguay ahora las tarjetas se meustren con el celular https://t.co/UiR3MeMGIf
— Peñargrol (@CAPArgento__) October 16, 2026
How the electronic card tested in Uruguay works
The device, called the “tarjeta electronica,” was developed by a Uruguayan company in collaboration with the national football federation. It resembles a smartphone, has an Android operating system and two side buttons, one yellow and one red. By pressing them, the screen lights up with the corresponding color of the penalty given and the penalized or expelled player can also be selected, scrolling through the team lists.
In addition to announcing these decisions, the device automatically records cards, substitutions, goals, penalties and other events related to the conduct of the match. The data is sent to a platform used by the Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF), without the need for Wi-Fi on the pitch. This means that notepads and pens, as well as physical cards, can be eliminated. The technology was supposed to be tested on September 30, during the Defensor Sporting-Plaza Colonia match, but this was not possible because the afternoon sun did not allow good visibility of the screen, which so far seems to be the main problem.
That's how new referees' electronic cards are now being tested in the National-Rentistas party for the AUF Uruguay Cup The information goes directly to the system 📸 @Nia_Leal @ovacionuy https://t.co/VSb9mIO6Xc
— Sofía Berardi (@sofiberardi) October 15, 2026
The referee's testimony: "He takes it in his hand and, boom, it's all done"
Referee Varela shared his experience with the device, which is currently still in the testing phase: "If you look at it, it's a mobile phone. On the side there are two buttons: a yellow one and a red one, which light up when you press them. On the screen there is a button that displays the two team emblems. Touch one of them and it gives you the opportunity to mark which player has been punished with a yellow or red card. It only shows the numbers, not the names. Press confirmation and everything is done. If you give a player a second yellow card, the system notifies you that he has already received one and asks you: Are you going to send him off?"
Some have complained about the loss of the “charm” of the old cards, but the referee did not pay much attention to this argument, focusing on the usefulness of the device: “They told me: ‘The essence of the card has been lost’. Yes, of course, but this is a very positive help. When we issue the card, we have to fill out administrative forms. We write the number, the reason and the minute. With this device, you pick it up and, boom, everything is done. To make substitutions, you just have to press a button with the words ‘substitutions’, which takes you to the team and allows you to register the players who enter and those who leave. Furthermore, there is a possibility that, after the intervention of the VAR, the card can be harsher or lighter.”
Speaking about possible improvements, Varela added: “It would be fantastic if a side LED light would light up with the displayed color, because the device is not visible when viewed from the side. This is a prototype.” The referee concluded with these words: “There is criticism because it is Uruguayan. If it had happened the other day in the Manchester City-PSG match, we would all be enthusiastic…”.
