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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Referees, VAR & Discipline

Send off

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˌsend ˈɔːf/phrasal verbCore term

In football (soccer), send off means: To order a player to leave the pitch for the rest of the match by showing a red card.

In Turkish: oyundan atmak, kırmızı kartla ihraç etmek

How it is used

Usually passive: a player is sent off or gets sent off. The noun is sending-off, and American English says a player was ejected. A player who is sent off cannot be replaced; substitutes and team officials can also be sent off.

Example sentences

  1. He was sent off for a second yellow card just before half-time.

  2. The referee had no choice but to send him off.

Common collocations

  • be sent off
  • get sent off
  • sending-off
  • sent off for a second yellow
  • red cardA card the referee shows to send a player off for a serious offence, such as violent conduct or denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity; the team then plays with one player fewer.
  • yellow cardA card the referee shows to caution a player for offences such as reckless tackles, time-wasting or dissent; a second one in the same match means a red card.
  • suspensionA ban that stops a player from playing in one or more matches, usually after a red card or after collecting too many yellow cards.
  • refereeThe official in charge of a match who applies the rules, blows the whistle, gives fouls and shows yellow and red cards.

More terms: Referees, VAR & Discipline

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