Question Number: 22544

League Specific 11/19/2009

RE: High School

Brad Stark of Jacksonville, nc onslow asks...

How can a team play with 11 players after a player has been shown 2 yellow cards, resulting in a red card ejection? I have always understood that with an ejection, the offending tean plays down a man...

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Welcome to high school rules. Unlike the laws of the game, if a player is shown a second yellow card, the player is disqualified but the team does not play short. If you look carefully, you will see that the referee displays the yellow and red cards together. This 'yellow/red' is the high school signal to indicate that the team may substitute for the disqualified player.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brad
This is unique to NHFS as under the Laws of the Game a 2nd yellow means a red card and a dismissal/ejection. While I have no experience of this NHFS system I would suspect that 2nd yellows that result in an ejection with a replacement may be issued perhaps more 'easily' than a 2nd yellow that results in an ejection with the team playing short as a result.
The other answer is that if it was not a NHFS game then there is the possibility that the referee made a mistake and it has happened at the highest level. Graham Poll, a FIFA official, gave a player two yellow cards and inadvertendly failed to dismiss him in the Australia v Croatia World Cup match in Germany in 2006. He recorded the 1st yellow against the same numbered opponent and it was only when he cautioned the Croatian Simunic for a 3rd time that he became aware of his error.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Brad. For some reason the NHFS has tinkered with the Laws that have worked so well all over the world and this one example. The notion of a 'soft red card' is a direct contradiction to the Laws Of The Game which you obviously are familiar with. The feeling of NHFS is that earning a red card simply for receiving 2 yellows should not be as severely punished as something like serious foul play or violent conduct.