What is a yellow card in football/soccer?
A yellow card is a disciplinary measure used by the referee. It signals that a player has been cautioned (booked) for an offence.
Yellow cards can be shown to players, substitutes, substituted players, coaches and other team officials.
A player who is shown two yellow cards in a game is shown a red card and sent off.
When can yellow cards be shown in football/soccer?
A person can be shown a yellow card from the time the referee goes onto the pitch for the start of the match until the referee leaves the pitch after the end of the game, including during half-time, the break between full time and extra time, extra time, half-time of extra time and penalties.
If a player commits a yellow-card offence between the time the referee goes onto the pitch for the pre-match inspection and entering the pitch to start the game, no yellow card is shown but the incident is reported to the relevant disciplinary authorities after the game. This means that if the player is shown a yellow card during the game, they are not sent off for two yellow cards in the same game.
In some competitions, a yellow card may result in the player being sent off for a short period of time (temporary dismissal or sin bin) before being allowed to return to play.
What are yellow-card offences in football/soccer?
There are different reasons for the referee to show a yellow card to a player, substitute or substituted player and many of them are officially categorised as ‘unsporting behaviour’.
The most common yellow-card offences are where a player:
- commits a reckless challenge or foul
- wastes time
- stops or interferes with a promising attack, usually by committing a foul or handball (there is no card issued if a penalty kick is awarded for a non-deliberate handball offence or for a foul that was an attempt to play or challenge for the ball)
- denies the other team an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick for a foul that was an attempt to play or challenge for the ball
- argues with the referee or other match official (verbally or by making gestures)
- fails to respect the required distance from a free kick, corner kick, dropped ball or throw-in
- continually fouls (no specific number of fouls is required)
- simulates or dives to get a penalty or free kick, or exaggerates to get another player a red or yellow card
- excessively celebrates a goal, e.g. by taking off their shirt, jumping onto a fence, going into the crowd, mocking opponents, wearing a mask, covering their face with their shirt
Other yellow-card offences include:
- showing a lack of respect for the game
- trying to score a goal with the hand/arm (even if unsuccessful)
- entering, re-entering or leaving the pitch without the referee’s permission
- changing places with the goalkeeper during play or without the referee’s permission
- making illegal marks on the pitch
- playing the ball after being given permission by the referee to leave the pitch
- using a trick to get around the backpass rule
- verbally distracting an opponent
A yellow card is shown to a team official who:
- continually leaves their technical area
- delays the restart of play by their team
- enters the other team’s technical area (without any major confrontation)
- argues with the referee or other match official (without leaving the technical area)
- continually signals for someone to be shown a red or yellow card
- excessively shows the ‘TV signal’ for a VAR review
- acts in a confrontational manner
- continually behaves unacceptably
- shows a lack of respect for the game
If someone in the technical area commits a yellow-card offence and cannot be identified, the senior coach present in the technical area is shown the yellow card (as the person responsible for the people in the technical area).
If the referee plays advantage following a yellow-card offence, the card must be shown when the game next stops. However, if the offence was stopping or interfering with a promising attack, no card is shown, as the advantage allowed the promising attack to continue.
Details about all yellow cards must be reported after the game to the relevant disciplinary authorities.
