What Is a Yellow Card in Football? Cautions Explained

TL;DR

The referee shows a yellow card to record a caution. The player stays on the field, but a second yellow in the same match usually becomes a red card and sends the player off.

Reasons for a caution

Delaying a restart, dissent, entering or leaving without permission, persistent fouling and unsporting behavior are common cautionable offences. The law lists the categories rather than one universal foul.

Accumulated cards

Competitions can suspend a player after a specified number of yellow cards across matches. The threshold and reset date belong to the tournament regulations, not the basic laws.

Yellow versus red

A yellow is a warning with disciplinary consequences; a red removes the player. A player can receive a straight red or two yellows, depending on the offence.

Match-management effect

A caution changes how aggressively a player can defend and may influence substitutions. It does not automatically award a free kick unless the underlying offence also requires one.

Related reading

See free-kick rules, VAR in football, penalty shootouts and aggregate scores.