Red card rules in football. What do yellow and red cards mean in football? Where did the cards come from and why in a football game?

Yellow and red cards are an integral part of everyone football match. Small rectangular pieces of paper are in the pocket of the chief referee, who uses them to warn players for various types of violations. After the referee has shown the mustard plaster to the football player, he makes a note about this, drawing the number of the offending player on the card itself. Nowadays, it very rarely happens that the referee does not show a single card during the entire match. It is possible to violate and it is not always punishable, but when the referee clearly sees a foul, he will certainly react and punish the culprit accordingly.

The history of cards in football

At the 1962 World Cup, Englishman Ken Aston refereed the opening match of the tournament between the national teams of Chile and Switzerland. In that match, the referee did a good job and FIFA appointed him to referee the game between Chile and Italy - two rivals between whom a fierce fight could have broken out in the football ring. The game predictably turned out to be emotional and rough, and in one episode Aston had to send off Squadar Azzurra midfielder Giorgio Ferrini from the field, but due to the language barrier, the Italian did not understand the complaints against him and refused to leave, after which he was taken off the field by the police.

At the 1966 World Cup, Ken Aston was appointed responsible for the work of the referees. This World Cup was also not without controversy. In the England-Argentina match, German referee Rudolf Kreitlein sent the captain of the Latin American team Rattin from the court for a gross violation, but he, not even knowing the referee’s language, tried to find out the reason for his removal and the next day the newspapers wrote in full about problems between the referees and players of different nationalities that do not understand each other. After this, Aston seriously thought about this problem and very soon found an ingenious solution.

While driving on a road in London, Aston had an epiphany, which he later explained as follows:

“As I was driving along High Street Kensington, the traffic lights were turning red. I thought: yellow - calm down, red - stop, you’re expelled.”

With this idea, the Briton, who previously worked as a teacher and knew the importance of communicating with those you are going to control, turned to FIFA. Aston proposed introducing yellow and red cards in football, and the International Organization approved the idea and already at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, referees used cards to warn football players. Also at this World Cup, according to the idea of Ken Aston, a reserve referee and a sign with the numbers of the players who were going to replace were introduced.

What does a yellow card mean in football?

Referees reward players with a yellow card for the following violations:

Unsportsmanlike behavior (for example, when a football player celebrates a goal by taking off his shirt)
For arguing with the referee (that’s why a referee is needed on the field, to decide who is right and who is wrong. Captains can ask the referee for the reason for the card, but for arguments or excessively rude comments, the referee has the right to reward the player with mustard plaster)
For delaying time (often, players of the winning team like to stall for time, for example, by taking a long throw-in or throw-in)
For a combination of fouls (not all violations result in a yellow card, the referee overlooks minor crimes, but keeps count of them. If the same players violates the rules quite often, then the referee has the right to show him a yellow mustard plaster.
For entering or leaving the game without the permission of the referee (it happens that during a stoppage of the game, for example, when doctors are providing assistance to an injured person, one of the players goes beyond the field line (to drink some water). In no case should this be done, he must remain on playground, and if he’s very thirsty, they can give him a bottle of water from the bench. It’s the same when a player enters without the permission of the referees after receiving medical assistance - this is a yellow card.
For failure to maintain the distance to the ball (during a free kick or free kick, the players of the defending team must be at a distance of 9 meters from the ball. If the referee notices that this rule is being ignored and the football players who set up the wall are trying to get closer to the ball, then he has the right to punish with a card. True in such cases, referees often use verbal warnings.
For deliberate handball (does not apply unless it is a last resort foul)
For disrupting a dangerous attack
For a kick after the whistle (for example, when an offside position was recorded, and the player ignored the whistle and deliberately kicked the ball). Often in such cases, football players pretend that due to the noise of the stands they simply did not hear the sound of the whistle.

What is a red card given for in football?

A red card is shown for the worst offense in football and means two things. First, the offender committed a serious foul or committed a serious gross misconduct. Secondly, the player who was shown a red mustard plaster will have to immediately leave the field. There are 5 main reasons for showing a player a red card:

Flagrant foul. In this case, the referee at his discretion, even with the help of VAR, can determine how serious the violation was. This includes a tackle from behind, a tackle with two legs, a high leg raised during a tackle, a kick to the body, etc.
Violent actions. Any punches, kicks, attacks on the enemy in simple language fighting is punishable by a red card.
Spitting and swearing. For such actions they are almost always kicked off the field. This also includes racial slurs.
Foul of last resort. When an attacking player has an almost 100% chance of scoring a goal, and the opponent breaks the rules on him, then such an episode is classified as a foul of last resort and is punishable by a red card. This includes not only the defender's deliberate desire to knock down an attacking player, but also the deliberate use of his hands to hit the ball flying into the goal.
The second one is yellow. In football, receiving a second yellow card means that the player must be sent off the field. Thus, if a football player commits two violations resulting in yellow mustard plasters, then after showing the second yellow card, the referee shows the offender a red one.

Interesting fact! The record for the number of red cards at the FIFA World Cup belongs to the 1/8 final match (2006 World Cup) Portugal - the Netherlands, which was officiated by Russian Valentin Ivanov and showed 16 yellow and 4 red cards.

Receiving two yellow cards or a straight red card means missing the next game for the player. In World Cup matches and other famous tournaments on the planet, if a player receives a yellow card in one match and also a yellow card in the next, then he automatically receives a disqualification for the subsequent match.

In matches of the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and other championships, a straight red card can mean a player is disqualified for not one, but several matches. It all depends on the type of violation and the decision of the disciplinary committee or the relevant body.

Also in football, the referee has the right to send off not only players running on the field, but also substitutes and even coaches.

There is also a green card in football

In 2016, the referee showed the first green card in football history. This happened in the Italian Serie B championship. A card of this color did not mean a punishment, but rather was shown when a player did something good, for example, in a controversial situation he admitted that the ball went out of bounds from him. The green card is like a symbol of fair play.

A second variant of the green card designation was also recorded. At the CONFIFA tournament in London, a Green Card was also used for non-FIFA teams. It was used as a disciplinary measure along with yellow and red cards and meant that the player had to leave the field immediately, but could be replaced if the team did not use all the substitutions. Players who received a green card were not suspended from their team's next match.

The most famous red card in football history

In the final of the 2006 World Cup, the national teams of Italy and France met. Already in the 7th minute of the match, Marco Materazzi fouled in his own penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty. The captain of the tricolor, Zinedine Zidane, cold-bloodedly executed the 11-meter kick, hitting it with a panenka. 1:0 in favor of France, but already in the 19th minute of the game Marco Materazzi finished off Andrea Pirlo's cross and equalized the score.

10 minutes before the end of extra time and the penalty shootout approaching, Zidane and Materazzi were seen in a verbal altercation, after which the France number 10 headbutted the Italian center-back in the chest. The main referee did not notice this incident, but the fourth referee informed him about what had happened and he showed a straight red card to Zidane. It was a provocation and Materazzi later admitted it himself. In that dialogue, the Italian insulted his sister Ziza, who did not tolerate this and decided to punish Materazzi right on the field with a powerful head blow.

In football rules, the main referee attributes are cards – yellow and red. This article is about what they mean and why they are given to football players on the field.

Yellow and red cards

If you delve into the history of football, then such an attribute as cards did not appear immediately, but modern football is already unthinkable without these components. Cards in football, at their core, are signs that the referee shows to players at a match for violating the rules of the game or unsportsmanlike behavior.

What is a yellow card given for?

A yellow card means violation and is given to football players in the following cases:

For deliberately delaying playing time
For entering or leaving the game without the permission of the referee
For rough play on the field
Per simulation
For conversations and disputes with the match referee
For a handball that the referee considered intentional
For hitting the ball before the whistle when taking penalty kicks or for hitting the ball after the whistle when play is stopped.
For displaying his bare torso during a goal celebration

If a player receives two yellow cards during the match, he is removed from the field without the opportunity to continue further play. And also this player will not be able to play in the next match for the team due to disqualification.

Most tournaments and championships also have additional rules on the number of received yellow cards over several matches. For example, if a player receives 4 mustard cards (yellow cards) over the course of several games, then he misses the next game.

What is a red card given for?

In football, a red card means a sign of sending off and is shown by the referee to a football player for a particularly gross violation on the field or very unsportsmanlike behavior. A player who receives a red card does not have the right to continue the game and must leave the field. He also cannot be replaced and therefore the team remains in the minority.

Red card in football shows:

For very rough play (tackles from behind, insulting an opponent, intentionally hitting an opponent);
For the “foul of last resort.”

Also, a red card is shown after a player has received a second yellow card in a match, and also receives a suspension for the next match.

The card system was first used in football in 1970 at the World Cup. And the first player who received a yellow card was USSR national team player Kakha Asatiani.
The most yellow and red cards were shown in the 1/8 World Cup match between the national teams of Holland and Portugal by Russian referee Valentin Ivanov. During the entire match he showed 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards and all of them were deserved.

And finally, a video in which you will see (if you haven’t seen it) why the red card was issued to the legendary football player Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final between Italy and France, and his last match in a career. Eh...

During a football match, the chief referee plays a huge role. He makes the final decisions on all fouls, goals scored, substitutions, etc. One of the main tools for a referee to influence a team's game are cards. They come in yellow and red.

What can you get a yellow card for?

Because of its color, this card is also called “mustard plaster”. It is presented to football players for various violations of the rules, for example, for a rough tackle from behind, for throwing the ball back after the whistle, for simulation, for taking too long, for disrupting a dangerous counter-attack, and so on. In this case, the referee is guided by the fact that the player has violated a certain football rule and should be punished, but not very strictly. For a more serious violation, the referee has the right to show a red card.

What can you get a red card for?

The referee can show cards not only to the players on the field, but also to the substitute players, as well as the entire coaching staff and other persons on the bench.

A red card is presented if the player has already been shown a warning in the form of a yellow card. It is the second yellow card that immediately turns into a red card.

You can also receive a red card immediately for a very serious violation against a player, which is dangerous to his health or resulted in injury. In addition, it is shown to the football player for a last resort foul committed outside the penalty area when the player goes one on one with the goalkeeper. Until recently, a red card was also shown for a foul inside the penalty area, but now this only results in a warning.

But even without rough tackles or dangerous violations, the referee may well issue a red card to the player. This happens if a player insults or hits the referee, as well as if a fight breaks out between players or one particular player acts too aggressively. This rule applies to the entire coaching staff together with substitute players.

After receiving a red card, a player is automatically suspended for the team's next games in that tournament. He may miss from one to 4-5 matches depending on the severity of the foul and other criteria.

When did cards first appear in football?

For the first time, football officials began to think about using additional measures during a football match at the 1966 World Cup in England. Then the referee could not explain to the Argentine player that he was sending him off the field for a flagrant foul. After this, FIFA listened to supporters of the appearance of cards in football and at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico they began to be used during games. By the way, the first football player to receive a warning was the Soviet player Kakha Asatiani.

Nowadays it is impossible to imagine football without yellow and red cards. On average, 5-6 yellow and 0.4 red cards are shown per game. All referees have learned to use them correctly, and players try to get as few of them as possible.

Distance is one of the basic rules of football. This type of punishment refers to the 12th football law in the set of official rules of the game. A sending off, like all other football penalties, can only be ordered by a referee. The referee, in turn, must always be guided by the official interpretations of game episodes. However, in the application of this rule, like most others in football, there are a lot of nuances.

A removal is always accompanied by a red card, which the referee shows to the offending participant in the match. Although there was a time when referees ejected violators from the field verbally. The ejected player must immediately leave the field. As a rule, those punished go to the room under the stands. However, another option is also possible: the removed player or coach (and removal of the mentor is also possible - as a rule, according to the clause “offensive, offensive or obscene language and/or gestures”) takes a place on the podium.

Comments during a match happen to all or almost all coaches. In general, anyone who has ever stepped onto the field knows perfectly well what words participants in a football match can use to express their emotions to each other and to the referees. Most often, referees tolerate it up to a certain point, because football is a very emotional game, but when they see that a person does not calm down or is simply going too far, they reach into their pocket for a red card.

Removal carries additional penalties. The offender not only leaves current match, but also automatically misses at least the next game of the championship, another tournament or the season as a whole. There are, however, exceptions. In Argentina there is a rule: if one of the team players is called up to the national team (any age category), then the expelled player can play in the next calendar match. And he will serve his disqualification later. The period of disqualification may be changed by the decision of the governing body of the tournament. In Russia, such issues are considered by the Control and Disciplinary Committee. He has the power to increase the period of disqualification to five matches or cancel the red card if it turns out that the referee made a mistake. It all depends on the degree of guilt and the seriousness of the violation. After all, it’s strange to equally punish a defender who reflexively stopped a ball flying into the goal with his hand, and a player who deliberately broke an opponent’s leg.

It is believed that removal is a very severe punishment that can radically change, “break” the course of the match. However, in reality, unlike hockey, a football majority does not always provide a noticeable advantage. Moreover, there are many examples when the teams remaining in the minority began to play better and achieved success.

Players often ask their coaches for unscheduled leave. But not all mentors cooperate. The coach did not let the famous German forward Hansi Müller go to the wedding. The enterprising Muller found a very clever solution. In one of the matches of the German championship, he deliberately ran into a red card. And then he entered into an unpleasant conversation with the referee in order to receive an even longer disqualification. After which Hansi packed his things, called his fiancee and began to prepare for the wedding.

One of the most famous deletions happened in the final of the 06 World Cup. The main time of the match between the national teams of France and Italy ended in a draw -1:1. Extra time passed in an equal and close fight. Everyone was mentally preparing for the penalty shootout. And then one of the most mysterious episodes in the history of football occurred. Italian defender Marco Materazzi said something to the leader of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman turned around and butted the offender with his head. The referee sent Zidane off, the French lost the World Cup in a penalty shootout, and no one knows for sure what Materazzi said, because the Italian, in collaboration with witty journalists, published the book “250 variations of what I said to Zidane.”

The “achievement” of Russian referee Valentin Ivanov, who showed 16 yellow and four red cards in the 2006 World Cup match between Holland and Portugal, is far from an all-time record. In the 70s of the 20th century, games of the Mexican championship were officiated by a rather violent referee named Gonzalez. In one of the matches, Gonzalez, having removed five offenders from two teams after a heated dispute, did not calm down and began handing out cards to all the remaining players. When even the reserve players “ran out”, Gonzalez began to drive coaches and administrative employees of both clubs from the field.

FIFA is preparing a revolutionary reform - the introduction of temporary removal of a player. According to the developers, in certain cases it will be possible to punish the violator with a ten-minute penalty-removal. This penalty is very similar to a hockey penalty - two minutes in the penalty box. The reformers' idea is that a player who tries to gain an advantage through dishonest means will be sent off the field for 10 minutes. “Spectators want to watch football, and not the performance of actors, as in the theater,” the developers of the reform explain their position. At the same time, removal in the only existing form - until the end of the game - sometimes turns out to be too harsh a measure and “breaks” the game. Ten-minute penalties, which, by the way, exist in bandy, will enable referees to conduct the match more flexibly.

Hello friends, today we’ll talk about players being sent off in football and what strategies exist for such a bet. Let's look at the essence of this tactic using specific examples of bets on red cards.

Article overview

Description and essence of the removal strategy

As you know, for gross violations in football, referees often punish players with yellow cards. If a player grossly violates the rules 2 times, he is shown another yellow card, which automatically turns into a red card. This means that the player is sent off and must leave the field.

This is a rather severe punishment, because after being sent off, the team remains in the minority and loses its chances for a positive outcome. Of course, this does not happen in every match, but it is quite possible to predict the removal.

Due to the fact that a large number of bookmakers allow you to bet on such an outcome with very high odds, I looked into this issue in more detail. Therefore, I offer you an overview of a strategy that will allow us to place correct and winning bets on a red card in a match.

Additionally, you need to know that bookmakers do not just offer a bet on a red card, but also a variety of options in which it can appear. Here are the possible bets on CC:

Total. That is, you bet on whether a certain number of KK in the match will be higher or lower;
Will/won't. A simple bet, you bet on whether the deletion will happen or not. As you understand, there will be NO bet, they give a very low odds;
Outcome of the winner according to the cards. This bet is placed on the team that will score more CC;
Outcomes on CC with a handicap;
First red card. You need to guess which team will be the first to be deleted;
What will happen first. The list of this bet includes: goal, yellow card, penalty and many other options, including CC;
Accurate QC score;
There are many more options, such as individual total, halves or 10 minute intervals.

As you can see, we have plenty of food for thought. So let's not waste any time and get started with the review.

Choosing the right football match to bet on red cards

To begin with, we need to determine by what criteria we will choose a match in which a red card is potentially possible.

First of all, pay attention to the team statistics for this indicator. I use the MyScore service for this. Thanks to him, you can find out the list of the rudest teams of the season.
Pay attention to the teams' playing style. As practice shows, those teams that play a defensive game are most susceptible to receiving a red card. This is logical, because often violations occur during selection, so take this fact into account.
The integrity of the meeting plays an important role. If the championship race or salvation from the relegation zone depends on the outcome of the match, then we plan to count on a calm start to the meeting. It is unlikely that the teams will risk being left in the minority, but as soon as they score a goal or, on the contrary, continue to play to zero, a surge of emotions awaits us.
Statistically, you can see that most red cards happen in derbies or decisive matches in 2-legged clashes. If everything is clear with the derby, then, for example, in the Champions League battles, too much is at stake, and teams will go ahead, not following the rules in the event of an unsatisfactory score, because there will be no chance to win back.

For this reason, final matches are often held in a very tense manner. A striking example of this is the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the national teams of Spain and Holland played. The most important meeting lasted as much as 120 minutes and the teams picked up as many as 14 yellow cards, which contributed to the removal.

Pay attention to the championship in which the selected meeting is held. Everyone knows that football is different countries different from each other. In some places it is tough, in others it is the opposite. Thus, I advise you to consider the championships of Italy, Spain, Holland and Brazil, where players are very often punished for the slightest touch of the opponent. At the same time, in England they play real men's football. The fight here is tough and the judges often do not want to interrupt the progress of the match and show mustard plasters.

By the way, about the judges. Perhaps this is the most important criterion in choosing a match with a potential red card. The fact is that the judge’s decision cannot be challenged, and each of them dictates their own rules. Some immediately make it clear that rough play in this match is unacceptable, while others turn a blind eye even to those fouls that qualify for a straight red.

Study the referees and look at their statistics. It will be possible to draw conclusions from it and expect some results. The more often a judge shows the QC, the more likely he is to do so in the next match for which he is assigned.

Well, as a bonus, it’s worth talking about riskier bets, but with high quotes. I'm talking about betting on a specific player's red card. Often, they give crazy odds for this outcome and you can predict this scenario.

I remember Mark Van Bommel playing. If you were also able to remember it, you will understand what I am talking about. This bonebreaker did not spare his opponents and because of this he missed many matches due to disqualification. I wouldn’t be surprised that some of the betters were able to make a fortune on his red cards.

On this moment we can watch such amateurs being sent off from the field as: Sergio Ramos, Melo, the great provocateur Diego Costa, the malingerer Luis Suarez or the crazy Pepe. The days of Gatuzzo, Keane and Barton may be over, but in every generation of footballers you will find those who do not think much about the team and play on the verge of a foul.

By the way, I noticed a trend regarding Sergio Ramos. The Real Madrid defender sometimes resorts to rather dubious actions. He deliberately breaks the rules in order to serve his disqualification and approach any the decisive match in full readiness. This may seem disgusting to some, but you can play on it. By the way, this happened in the first match of Real Madrid against Ajax in the Champions League. The arrogant Ramos deliberately earned himself a removal so that he could serve his disqualification in the next match and be ready for another stage.

Example of a bet on sending off in football

We have already discussed with you all the criteria by which you need to choose a match. I think you are interested in how to bet on this outcome. There is nothing complicated about this, since almost all bookmakers make such bets.

The nuance is different. A red card is a rather controversial and rare outcome. Therefore, even with careful analysis, the probability of such an outcome will not exceed 70%. So I advise you to bet on deletion only if you are 100% sure.

Moreover, if your calculations include all the criteria I described with the names of the players from this article, then be sure to take a risk.

Go to the event list and choose any outcome you like for deletion or CC.

I want to offer you another strategy option. As you can see, a bet against removal gives a very small odds. This is understandable, because the event is truly rare and its probability is less than goal scored or yellow card.

It's pretty stupid to bet on this. We will not earn much, and if we lose, we will remain in the red, which will be impossible to win back. Therefore, I resort to the method of making an express bet from these events.

The point is this. By adding several similar outcomes to the express, we increase the final odds. Since the probability that there will be no removal in the match is high, the probability of passing increases. Therefore, we can safely count on making money through catching up.

Conclusions on the topic

I believe that predicting a red card in football is not that difficult. Using the algorithms and criteria that I described in this material, you have the right to count on profit.

Be that as it may, the strategy also works against red cards. However, you must understand that in order to make full money, you definitely need to do a thorough analysis of the match. Without this, there can be no talk of any profit.

I hope this article was helpful to you. I wish you good luck and as many big wins as possible!