Yellowred Cards

Contents

Football rules & mechanics

A yellow-red card in football occurs when a player receives a second yellow card in the same match. The second yellow card automatically becomes a red card, which results in the player being sent off. This shows a stricter level of disciplinary enforcement than the initial caution from the first yellow card.

From a regulatory standpoint, football rules separate these scenarios:

– A Yellow card is a warning, usually for unsporting behaviour, repeated breaking of the rules, or similar offences.
– A Red card can be given directly for serious fouls, violent conduct, or deliberately stopping a clear goalscoring opportunity.
– A Yellow-red card (i.e., a second yellow in the same match) means the player must leave the pitch immediately. This mechanism bridges the gap between a warning and being sent off and is recognised as a separate type of event in official tracking.

Tactically, a yellow-red card has significant implications: the player’s team must continue with one fewer player, which often forces changes to their formation, defensive structure, and energy allocation. It also adds to a player’s total disciplinary record, which could lead to suspensions or fines in league or tournament play.

Sportmonks football API Overview

The Sportmonks Football API is a powerful, highly customisable data platform that offers comprehensive coverage of football matches, including live updates, historical data, player and team statistics, and match events. The API covers over 2,500 leagues worldwide.

Core pillars of the API

The API is powered by two main features:

Event tracking
Every key moment in a match, such as goals, substitutions, VAR or penalty decisions, and disciplinary actions like cards, is captured as a distinct event. Card events are specifically categorised as:
– yellowcard: a standard warning.
– redcard: a direct red card.
– yellowred: a second yellow card that results in a red card.

Flexible includes and statistics
Instead of having separate endpoints for match statistics or events, the Sportmonks API uses powerful include parameters to tailor your requests. For match-level insight, you typically use:
– include=stats: to get numeric data like card counts.
– include=events: to get detailed logs of events (e.g., who was sent off and when).

Sportmonks data model: yellow-red cards

Event type: yellowredcard

Within Sportmonks’ events data model, disciplinary actions are precisely categorised. The API differentiates among:
– Yellow card: Issued for a first warning.
– Red card: A straight red card.
– Yellowred card: Denotes a second yellow card offence, which automatically results in a red card dismissal.

This distinction ensures that second-yellow send-offs are not confused with direct red cards. This is crucial for accuracy in analytics and reporting.

Referee statistics: yellowred_cards

At the statistics level, Sportmonks provides a dedicated metric for yellow-red card data in referee records. The field YELLOWRED_CARDS indicates the total number of second-yellow send-offs across all of a referee’s matches. Such statistics are especially valuable when analysing referees’ disciplinary patterns, for example, identifying officials who frequently give out second warnings.

Accessing yellow-red data via includes

A. For events (match-level detail)

To get every yellow-red incident with detailed information, add include=events to your request for a match. This will return chronological details such as:
– type: “YELLOWREDCARD”
– minute: when the player was sent off.
– player_id: and possibly linked information via events.player or events.relatedPlayer includes.

This method is perfect for creating timelines or visual match stories.

B. For aggregated stats (match, team, season, referee)

To get the total number of yellow-red cards:
– Use include=stats on the match, team, or season endpoints. These includes return aggregated metrics like card counts.
– For referee-specific totals, include statistics.details.type and filter for YELLOWRED_CARDS to get that precise statistic.

Use cases & applications

Analytics & reporting dashboards

Sportmonks allows for detailed analysis of disciplinary trends using the YELLOWRED_CARDS field, which counts second-yellow send-offs in team statistics. This is perfect for dashboards that track discipline and team behaviour. You can also rebuild match stories by getting YELLOWREDCARD events, which allows you to create visual timelines showing exactly when players were sent off for a second yellow.

Fantasy football & predictive modelling

In fantasy football, knowing which players or teams frequently receive yellow-red cards can help you make better, risk-adjusted decisions. Sportmonks’ live event data supports fast, real-time updates, which helps you predict in-game suspensions before they impact your fantasy line-up.

Referee performance insights

Since YELLOWRED_CARDS is also available in team-level statistics, you can combine this with referee-level data to highlight officials who are strict about cautions. This is especially useful when trying to understand how a referee might influence a game.

Live commentary & match centres

Sportmonks’ real-time match event streaming, which covers goals, cards, substitutions, and specifically second-yellow events, provides a rich source of data for building live commentary tools, match trackers, or “play-by-play” interfaces. This flexibility is vital for designing user experiences that respond dynamically to game-changing moments like a red card dismissal.

Strategic coaching & scouting tools

Aggregated match and season statistics on yellow-red cards allow coaching staff to assess discipline issues over time. Teams can identify repeat offenders or streaks of second-yellow send-offs and plan training or disciplinary interventions accordingly.

Track discipline with Sportmonks

Second-yellow dismissals can change the flow of a match in an instant. With Sportmonks’ Football API, you can capture every yellow-red card in real time, along with detailed stats for players, referees, and teams. Whether you’re building live match centres, betting tools, or scouting dashboards, our data ensures accuracy and depth where it matters most.

Start your Sportmonks trial today and power your projects with reliable disciplinary insights.

What do yellow and red cards mean?

Yellow card: This is a caution given by the referee for misconduct, such as unsporting behaviour, arguing with the referee, time-wasting, or repeated fouling. A player who receives a yellow card can continue to play but is warned about the consequences of their actions. Red card: This is a more severe punishment that results in a player being immediately sent off, and their team must play with one fewer player for the rest of the match. It is shown for serious offences like violent conduct, denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, or receiving a second yellow card in the same game.

How long is the ban for 2 yellow cards?

Receiving two yellow cards in a single match results in a red card and an automatic one-match suspension in most competitions, including the Premier League. However, some rules are specific to each league. In the Premier League, for example, a player gets a one-match ban for accumulating five yellow cards before the 19th game of the season. The ban for being sent off for a second yellow card is typically one match, which might avoid a longer ban from accumulating cards over multiple games.

Do professional footballers get fined for yellow cards?

Yes. In English football, there are typically fines. Yellow card offences often carry a fine (e.g., £10 per card), with additional charges for accumulating a certain number of cards. Red cards have higher fines (e.g., £15 or more), depending on the severity of the offence. Additionally, clubs, not just players, often face fines if six or more of their players receive yellow cards in a single match or over a short period.

What do sidemen yellow and red cards mean?

The term "sidemen yellow and red cards" is not a standard part of official football rules. It likely refers to a system used by the online entertainment group, the Sidemen. Their system is a form of internal punishment or accountability for members. For example, a yellow card might be given for being late to a video shoot, and two yellow cards would result in a red card, leading to a financial penalty or losing credit for a video. This system is specific to the group and not part of the official game.

Written by David Jaja

David Jaja is a technical content manager at Sportmonks, where he makes complex football data easier to understand for developers and businesses. With a background in frontend development and technical writing, he helps bridge the gap between technology and sports data. Through clear, insightful content, he ensures Sportmonks' APIs are accessible and easy to use, empowering developers to build standout football applications