Yellow and Red Cards Explained: Offences, Suspensions and Accumulation
Cards are the referee's way of punishing serious or repeated misconduct. A yellow card is a caution; a red card means the player must leave the field and cannot be replaced. This guide covers what earns each card and what happens in the matches that follow.
The yellow card (caution)
Under Law 12 of the Laws of the Game, a player is cautioned for offences including:
- unsporting behaviour, such as a reckless tackle, simulation (diving) or a deliberate handball that stops a promising attack;
- dissent by word or action towards the referee;
- persistent fouling;
- delaying the restart of play;
- not respecting the required distance at a free kick, corner or throw-in;
- entering or leaving the field without the referee's permission;
- stopping a promising attack with a foul (a "tactical foul").
The red card (sending-off)
A player is sent off for:
- serious foul play: a challenge that uses excessive force or endangers an opponent's safety;
- violent conduct, such as striking someone, whether or not the ball is in play;
- denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (often called DOGSO) by a foul or a deliberate handball;
- spitting at or biting someone;
- using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures;
- receiving a second yellow card in the same match.
The penalty-area exception. If a defender denies an obvious goal-scoring chance with a foul inside their own penalty area while genuinely trying to play the ball, the referee awards a penalty and gives a yellow card instead of a red. The idea is to avoid a "triple punishment" of penalty, sending-off and suspension. Holding, pulling, pushing or a handball in that situation is still a red card.
What happens after a red card
The team plays the rest of the match with one player fewer, and a team must have at least seven players for the match to continue. Beyond the match itself, a red card almost always brings an automatic suspension. A typical domestic rule is a one-match ban for a second yellow or for denying a goal-scoring chance, and three matches for serious foul play or violent conduct, with longer bans possible after a disciplinary hearing.
Card accumulation
Competitions also suspend players who collect a number of yellow cards over several matches. The thresholds differ:
| Competition | Typical rule in recent seasons |
|---|---|
| Premier League | 5 yellow cards before a set point in the season brings a one-match ban; higher totals later in the season bring two- and three-match bans. |
| UEFA club competitions | A one-match ban after a third yellow card, and again after every second caution after that. Single yellow cards are cleared after the quarter-finals so no player misses the final for one caution. |
| World Cup | Two yellow cards in different matches bring a one-match ban. Single cautions are wiped at set points of the tournament, at the latest after the quarter-finals. |
Exact thresholds change between seasons and competitions, so the official regulations are the final reference.
Cards for coaches and officials
Since 2019 referees can also show yellow and red cards to team officials, such as managers and coaches, for misconduct in the technical area. A coach who is sent off must leave the area and may be banned from the touchline in following matches.
Cards in the data
On EHScore match pages, cards appear in the Events tab with the minute and the player's name. Team statistics in the Stats tab show total yellow and red cards for each side. A red card icon next to a team on the scoreboard tells you that team is down to ten players, which often changes how a match develops.
Did you know?
Yellow and red cards were introduced at the 1970 World Cup. The idea came from English referee Ken Aston, who is said to have been inspired by traffic lights while driving after the 1966 tournament, where language barriers had caused confusion about which players had been cautioned.