Yellow cards, red cards and fouls explained
Cards are the referee's main way of punishing players for misconduct, and they have a big effect on results and on who plays the next match. This guide explains what each card means, how suspensions work and what kind of challenge leads to each.
What a foul is
A foul is an unfair challenge that a referee judges to be careless, reckless or using excessive force. A direct free kick is given for most fouls, and a penalty is given if the foul by a defender happens inside their own penalty area. The referee can also play advantage, letting play continue when the team that was fouled is still in a good position.
Yellow cards
A yellow card is a caution, a formal warning. Common reasons are a reckless tackle, persistent fouling, stopping a promising attack by unfair means, time-wasting, dissent (arguing with the referee) and taking the shirt off after scoring. A player who receives a second yellow card in the same match is shown a red card and sent off.
Red cards
A red card means the player is sent off and cannot be replaced, so the team plays with one fewer for the rest of the match. A straight red card is shown for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting, denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity by a foul, using offensive or abusive language, or a second yellow card.
A player who is sent off normally misses the next match, and can miss more for serious offences. Clubs can sometimes appeal a red card, but the rules vary from competition to competition.
Accumulating yellow cards
In most competitions, yellow cards are added up over the season. If a player reaches a set number, he is suspended for one match. The number varies, and in cup competitions, yellow cards are often wiped at certain stages, for example after the quarter-finals. This is why you will hear commentators say a player is "one yellow card away from a suspension".
Penalties
A penalty is awarded when a defender commits a foul that would normally be a direct free kick inside their own penalty area. The attacker faces the goalkeeper from 12 yards. A handball by a defender inside the area is also a penalty. If a defender is sent off for stopping a goal-scoring chance with a foul inside the area, the rules are less harsh than before: a player who makes a genuine attempt to play the ball and gives away a penalty usually receives only a yellow card.
Handball
Handball is one of the hardest rules to understand. A player is not punished for every touch of the ball with the hand. The referee looks at whether the player made their body unnaturally bigger, whether the arm was in an unnatural position, and whether the hand was deliberately moved to the ball. A goal scored directly from a hand is disallowed, even if the touch was accidental.
Advantage
The referee can wave "advantage" to let play continue if the team fouled still has an opportunity. If the benefit does not come, the referee can go back and give the foul, and still show a card.
Cards for non-players
Managers, coaches and substitutes can also be shown cards, and a manager can be sent to the stands. In ScoreHub's summary tab, you can see every card and the minute it was shown.
Check the rules
Rules about suspensions and accumulations differ by competition. For the exact thresholds in your league, look at the competition's own regulations.