Question Number: 35763

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/20/2024

RE: Professional

Chinemerem of Onitsha , Anambra Nigeria asks...

Can a player be shown a red card for a foul that's supposed to be a yellow if he does not look at the referee

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
Not sure what you mean?

If a foul merits a caution / yellow that is all that should be shown.
If your question relates to disrespect towards the referee by not looking at the referee that would not be sufficient to change a caution to a dismissal.
What can happen is a player can get a caution for a reckless challenge and then get a second caution for dissent towards the referee which would result in a red card being shown for two cautions.

Failing to pay heed to a referee to come towards him to be spoken to after a reckless challenge can be seen by many as dissent which is a caution.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hello there Chinemerem,
a referee shows a card based on its necessity not on personal whims. Card colour does not change unless a neutral official exposed additional data or information the referee was unaware of, before the restart of play.

If a player was shown a yellow card for a cautionable action, be it a, SPA or USB or a reckless tackle and he was perhaps requested by the referee to stop and be warned or engage in a verbal reprimand. By choosing to walk or turn away it COULD be seen by the official as additional dissent /disrespect for the original call and as such there would be a second yellow card shown for that action, then a red card shown resulting in a sendoff reduce the team by a player would follow.

If there was verbal or VC or abusive gestures and language that is a DIRECT red for offinabus! In such cases if a referee had YET NOT displayed any colour. He could just pull a straight red for that more grievous action. The yellow card caution he could have been shown for the stoppage would be recorded but there is no need to display it given the player is being sent off directly for the subsequent follow up action.
Cheers