What Does a Yellow Card Mean in Soccer?

Soccer players can be punished with a yellow card during games, with two in one match resulting in a red card.

Two yellow cards result in a red card / Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

A yellow card in soccer is a disciplinary action that could have major consequences as a game unfolds.

Professional soccer games include one referee on the pitch and two assistant referees down either touchline. Together, the three officials must control the temperature of a match and hold players accountable for bad challenges or improper behavior.

The referees have three options to keep players in line over 90 minutes. A simple whistle or verbal warning is the least serious course of action while a red card is the harshest. Between the two, though, is a yellow card.

Here's a breakdown of what a yellow card means in soccer, and just what infractions can lead to a caution from an official.

What does a yellow card mean in soccer?

Referees hand out yellow cards to soccer players / Jenna Watson-Imagn Images

A yellow card in soccer serves as a warning. If a player commits a questionable challenge, blatantly stops an opponent on the counter attack, or uses unsportsmanlike language toward an official, then they will receive a yellow card.

The disciplinary action cautions the player against similar behavior in the future of the match.

How many yellow cards before a red?

Players on a yellow card must be extremely careful for the rest of the game, because two yellows in a single match results in a red card.

If players receive a red card, they must leave the field and their team must play with one less player for the remainder of the match.

How many yellow cards before suspension?

Multiple yellow cards leads to suspensions. / Maximilian Koch/IMAGO

Accumulating multiple yellow cards can lead to player suspensions.

The rules here vary from league to league, so we'll use the English Premier League as an example.

In the Premier League, two yellow cards in one match, and hence a red card, results in the guilty party receiving a one-game suspension, meaning they will miss their team's next match.

Any player who receives five yellow cards within the first 19 league games of the season will also face a one-match suspension.

Meanwhile, 10 yellows accumulated by week 32 will result in a two-match ban, and 15 yellows by week 38 means a three-match ban.

In knockout tournaments like the Champions League, the rules also differ.

During a Champions League game, standard card rules apply: two yellow cards lead to a red card and a one-game suspension.

A player who accumulates three yellow cards in separate matches receives a one-game ban after the third caution. This pattern then continues for every subsequent odd-numbered total of yellow cards until the tally resets at the semi-final stage.

Can a coach get a yellow card?

Jose Mourinho loves a yellow card. / Emmefoto/IMAGO

Yes, coaches can get yellow cards.

According to the Football Association (FA), which is English soccer's governing body, coaches can be given a booking for a variety of reasons, such as persistently leaving the technical area, excessively demanding red or yellow cards, or showing dissent through words or actions.

The latter includes cursing at officials, kicking drinks bottles, and even "sarcastic clapping."

How much do players get fined for a yellow card?

Just like the rules on suspensions, the amount players get fined for yellow cards varies by league.

In the Premier League, for example, players get fined a measly £10 for yellow cards, while they receive a £35 fine for getting two in one game.

In Major League Soccer, however, there's no fine for singular yellow cards, but accrue five, and players get a $250 fine. Eight yellow cards incur a $500 fine, 11 yellow cards lead to a $750 fine, and so on and so forth.

Why is it a yellow card for removing a shirt?

A young Cristiano Ronaldo. / Ulmer/IMAGO

Soccer players who completely remove or lift their jersey over their head while celebrating a goal should be shown a yellow card.

This is because, according to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the behavior is deemed over the top and can waste time.

Section 12 of the IFAB's "Laws of the Game" states: “Players can celebrate when a goal is scored, but the celebration must not be excessive; choreographed celebrations are not encouraged and must not cause excessive time-wasting."

Volker Roth, former chairman of the DFB Referee Committee, also once said, according to Awayo: "In Islamic countries, taking off a jersey is an insult to the one who has to look."

Can you appeal a yellow card?

In soccer, clubs generally cannot appeal yellow cards.

The governing rules, such as those set by FIFA or domestic leagues, usually only permit appeals for red cards or mistaken identity.

In some leagues like MLS, however, if a yellow card is part of a double yellow leading to a red, the club may appeal the resulting suspension.

In MLS, yellow cards that result in a suspension due to accumulation, where the card is clearly caused by an opponent’s obvious simulation or embellishment, can also be appealed.

How many booking points is a yellow card?

Booking points are used in soccer betting. / Dreamstime/IMAGO

"Booking points" are used in soccer betting as way of showing how many yellow and red cards have been given out in a match.

Bettors can wager on how many booking points a team or both teams will accumulate.

Typically, a yellow card is worth 10 booking points, while a red card is worth 25 booking points. A player sent off after receiving two yellow cards can earn a maximum of 35 points.

These values may vary by platform, however, so bettors should verify specific rules before placing bets.

When were yellow cards introduced?

Ken Aston. / WEREK/IMAGO

Yellow and red cards were officially introduced at the 1970 World Cup.

Before this, players could be sent off or given warnings, but there was no visual signal to communicate these decisions.

The color-coded system was invented by a referee named Ken Aston, who believed it would help ensure that spectators could better understand what was happening during the match.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Aston came up with the idea while driving through London.

"As I drove down Kensington High Street, the traffic light turned red. I thought, 'Yellow, take it easy; red, stop, you're off'," he once said.

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