Beginning football fans are often surprised at the sight of a yellow card, which the referee takes out and shows it to the player. However, there is nothing surprising in the “yellow card” - it is only a visual gesture of the referee assessing the actions of the players.
History of origin
The yellow card is a means of refereeing in some team sports (handball, football). It is needed to prevent violations and limit the player's aggression on the field.
The yellow card appeared at the 1966 World Cup in the England-Argentina match. The removed Argentine player did not want to understand the referee's oral appeal and continued to be on the field for several minutes. Then it was decided to create a universal means of signaling violations, working on the principle of a traffic light. For a normal offense a yellow card is awarded, for two yellow cards or a “severe” offense a red card is awarded, meaning sending off.
rules
A yellow card can be shown to a player for playing with a hand (except for a "last resort foul" when touching prevents a goal), deliberately stopping an opponent player, blocking, rough play. Also, a yellow card can be shown for deliberate delay in the game (frequent goalkeeper violation) and unsportsmanlike behavior. Disagreement with the judge's decision and any conflicts can also be punished with a mustard plaster.
Record holders
The fastest yellow card in the history of football was received by Willie Jones, famous for his rudeness, in the match between Manchester City and Sheffield United. It took him only five seconds to do this.
It took the famous rebel Sally Muntari one and a half minutes to receive two yellow cards. It happened at the Italian Serie A match between Inter and Catania.
Funny cases
The most "yellow" match in the history of the world championships was held with the participation of a Russian. Russian referee Valentin Ivanov at the 2006 World Cup issued 16 yellow cards in the Portugal-Holland match and sent off four players. The event received a worldwide response. Although the head of the International Football Federation Sepp Blatter first criticized the work of the referee, he later apologized to Ivanov - all the cards were shown deservedly.
Graham Paul, American, showed three yellow cards to the same player in the same Australia-Croatia match. In general, judicial "curiosities" and mistakes are almost inevitable - high-level football is a dynamic game, many moments can be interpreted in different ways. The judge must move quickly across the field and maintain absolute concentration. He must also be completely impartial. Sooner or later, there may be "failures", because "it is human nature to make mistakes," as the Romans said.
