Vuvuzela South Africa

Players who receive two yellow cards in different matches will no longer be at risk of missing the World Cup Final after FIFA announced it has changed its rules on player suspensions

Two Famous Yellow Card Incidents

Remember the two famous yellow card incidents in the World Cup?

• Paul Gascoigne cried after he was given a yellow card in the semi-final against Germany at Italia 90, a caution which meant he would have been banned from the final had England reached that stage.
• Germany’s Michael Ballack was forced to watch from the stands in 2002 after two yellow cards ensured he could take no part in his country’s game against Brazil.
• Italy’s Alessandro Costacurta in 1994 and Argentina’s Claudio Caniggia in 1990 also picked up yellow cards in semi-finals.

So for this 2010 World Cup South Africa, world soccer’s governing body has shifted its usual amnesty for yellow cards from the end of the first round until after the quarterfinals instead, said sport24.co.za

That means players would only miss the final if they receive two yellow cards – or of course a straight red – in a semifinal game, rather than in the past when they may have carried one yellow card going into a semi.

“FIFA simply said we want to give the best players a chance to play in the final,” spokesperson Marius Schneider said.

Red Card Rule Stays the Same

The Red card rules remain the same in the 2010 World Cup.

A red carries at least a one-match suspension and possibly more if the disciplinary committee considers the offence particularly serious. So, in theory, a player red-carded even before a semifinal could also miss the final.

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