Soccer Referee Discipline - Yellow Cards Versus Red Cards

By Todd Van Der Weele

A soccer referee is the unbiased judge who is charged with ensuring a soccer match is played in accordance to the Laws of the Game. He is responsible for order and discipline on the field from the moment he enters the field of play until he leaves the field of play after the final whistle.
His two tools of discipline are the yellow card and the red card. The yellow card is used to show that a player has been cautioned. The red card is used to show that a player has been sent off the pitch and cannot continue to play or be substituted for. Only a player can be shown a yellow or a red card. The following describe the offenses for yellow and red cards.
A yellow card is shown to a player for the following 7 offenses:
- Unsporting behavior (hard fouls, trash talking)
- Dissent by words or action (complaining to the referee)
- Persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game (continuing to foul when not necessary)
- Delaying the restart of play (kicking the ball away from spot of restart)
- Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted (standing too close to the ball)
- Entering and re-entering the field of play without referee's permission
- Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission
A red card is shown to a player if he commits any of the following 7 offenses:
- Serious foul play (fouling with the intent to injure or harm another player)
- Violent conduct (fighting)
- Spitting at an opponent or any other person
- Denying to the other team a goal or opportunity by using his hands (by knocking ball off goal line or out of goal)
- Denying a goal or opportunity to the other team moving towards the player's goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or penalty kick (fouling player as he attempts to score when there is no other player near the ball)
- Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
- Receiving a second caution in the same match
Understanding the reasons a referee issues yellow and red cards should be much clearer knowing the Laws of the Game, specifically Law 12.

By Todd Van Der Weele