The Uruguayan Football Association reportedly tested a smartphone-sized device for displaying digital yellow and red cards during cup matches. In a match between Nacional and Rentistas, referee Eduardo Varela used it to send off Nacional attacker Nahuel Gelos, who was reported to be the first player dismissed with a digital red card.

The device can also record incidents such as exchanges, goals and penalty kicks, track cautions and send the information to the association’s digital systems. The trial was interrupted during Defensor Sporting’s match against Plaza Colonia because sunlight made the card colours difficult for spectators to see. Developer REFe and the association have worked on the device for several years and hope it will eventually be adopted by CONMEBOL and FIFA, while acknowledging that it still needs improvement.