FANS attending a fifth-tier match in Portugal witnessed an extremely rare football sight – a WHITE card.
A defender picked up the ball on the edge of his own area and suddenly collapsed.
That left an opposing attacker free to run onto the ball in glorious position with the goal at his mercy.
However, the kind-hearted forward instead opted to kick the ball out of play in order to help his opponent receive the necessary treatment.
He then stood over his stricken rival to check on his condition.
Fans in attendance all stood up and gave him a standing ovation for his amazing act of sportsmanship.
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But that wasn’t all, as the referee approached the player, who lined up for minnows Montemor, and showed him the incredibly rare white card.
The opposing defender thankfully got up and was escorted off the pitch with the help of the opponent, who had been booked earlier, to receive necessary treatment.
The card was designed to show recognition to teams and players for acts of fair play and sportsmanship during a game.
The white card was brought in as a means of improving ethical values within the sport.
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This was all an initiative of Portugal’s National Plan for Ethics in Sport and it has been strongly encouraged by the Portuguese Football Federation.
It is believed this was only the second ever time this card has been shown in the beautiful game.
The first time took place during a women’s cup clash between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica back in January.
Benfica were leading 3-0 when a fan in the crowd complained of feeling unwell.
Medical staff from both teams rushed help out and referee Catarina Campos brandished the white card to all those involved.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
