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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Referees, VAR & Discipline

Yellow card

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˌjeloʊ ˈkɑːrd/nounCore term

In football (soccer), yellow card means: A 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.

In Turkish: sarı kart

How it is used

A player gets, receives or picks up a yellow card; the referee shows it. The official term is a caution, and British speakers often say booking. In most leagues, collecting a set number of yellow cards over the season brings a one-match ban.

Example sentences

  1. He picked up a yellow card for kicking the ball away.

  2. Be careful, you're already on a yellow card.

Common collocations

  • get a yellow card
  • show a yellow card
  • second yellow card
  • on a yellow card
  • 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.
  • bookingA caution shown with a yellow card, which the referee writes down in a notebook; to be booked means to receive a yellow 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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