Red Cards and Yellow Cards
7 Cautionable Offenses
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he/she commits any of the following seven offenses:
- Is guilty of unsporting behavior (UB)
- Commits a penal foul in a reckless manner
- Commits a penal foul while tackling for the ball from behind
- Commits a tactical foul designed to interfere with or impede an opposing team's attacking play
- Commits an act deemed by the referee as bringing the game into disrepute (e.g., aggressive attitude, inflammatory behavior, or taunting)
- Pushes or holds (including holding the opponent's uniform) to interfere with that opponent's attacking play
- Handles the ball deliberately to interfere with an opponent's attacking play
- Handles the ball deliberately to score a goal
- Fakes an injury or exaggerates the seriousness of an injury
- Fakes a foul (dives) or exaggerates the severity of the foul
- Interferes with or prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands into play
- Unfairly distracts or impedes an opponent performing a throw-in; this is a mandatory caution
- Verbally distracts an opponent during play or at a restart
- If identified as the kicker, engages in unfair deception while taking a penalty kick
- Changes jerseys with the goalkeeper during play or without the referee's permission; this is a mandatory caution for both players
- Engages in trickery to circumvent the goalkeeper's limitation on handling a ball played from a teammate's foot (the defender who initiates the "trickery" is cautioned and the decision does not require that the goalkeeper actually handles the ball); this is a mandatory caution whether it occurs during dynamic play or at a restart.
- Shows dissent by word or action (DT)
- Verbally or through action disputes or shows contempt for an official's decision
- If playing as a goalkeeper, leaves the penalty area (not beckoned by the referee) to engage an official in debate regarding a decision
- Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game (PI)
- Repeatedly commits fouls or participates in a pattern of fouls directed at an opponent
- Violates Law 14 again, having previously been warned
- If playing as goalkeeper, wastes time, having previously been warned or penalized for this behavior
- Delays the restart of play (DR)
- Kicks or throws the ball away or holds the ball to prevent a free kick restart by an opponent
- Kicks or throws the ball away or holds the ball to prevent a throw-in or corner kick by an opponent
- Fails to restart play after being so instructed by the referee
- Excessively celebrates a goal
- Fails to return to the field upon conclusion of the mid-game break, fails to perform a kick-off when signaled by the referee, or fails to be in a correct position for a kick-off
- Fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick or free kick (FRD)
- Does not retire at least ten yards away from an opponent's free kick
- Does not retire at least ten yards away from an opponent's corner kick
- Enters or re-enters the field of play without the referee's permission (E)
- Illegally returning to the field having previously been substituted; this is a mandatory caution
- After a player at fault is instructed to leave the field to correct his equipment; this is a mandatory caution
- After a player leaves the field for an injury
- After a player leaves the field for bleeding or blood on the uniform
- Illegally entering the field as a substitute without having received a signal to do so from the referee; this is a mandatory caution
- Deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee's permission (L)
- Leaves the field to place an opponent in an offside position
- Leaves the field other than through the normal course of play
- Is guilty of serious foul play (SFP)
- Is guilty of violent conduct (VC)
- Spits at an opponent or any other person (S)
- Denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to the goalkeeper within his own penalty area) (DGH)
- Denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick (DGF)
- Uses offensive, insulting or abusive language (AL)
- Receives a second caution in the same match (2CT)
7 SENDING-OFF OFFENSES
A player is sent off and shown the red card if she commits any of the following seven offenses:
