08/01/2026
In many cases, if the referee allows the non-offending team to take a quick free kick following an offence that would have resulted in a yellow (YC) or red card (RC) being shown, the card must be shown the next time the game stops.
Example:
A player commits a reckless challenge or serious foul play and the referee allows a quick free kick because the non-offending team has a clear goal-scoring opportunity and the referee has not started the disciplinary procedure. When the ball is next out of play, the offender still receives the YC for the reckless challenge or the RC for serious foul play.
However, there are some important exceptions.
TACTICAL OFFENCES
If the offence requires a card only because of its tactical impact and the referee allows a free kick to be taken quickly, the sanction will be reduced, i.e. if the offence was:
➡ denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), a YC is shown instead of a RC as the quick free kick restored the goal-scoring opportunity.
➡ stopping a promising attack (SPA), a YC is not shown as the quick free kick allowed the attack to continue.
TWO OFFENCES AT THE SAME TIME
If a tactical offence (SPA/DOGSO) requires also a YC/RC because of the physical severity of the offence, the referee must punish the more serious offence.
Example 1:
A player stops a promising attack by the opposing team by recklessly pushing an opponent outside the penalty area, and the referee allows a quick free kick. When the ball is next out of play, the player cannot be shown the YC for SPA but still receives the YC for the reckless push.
Example 2:
A player commits a reckless tackle outside the penalty area which denies the opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, and the referee allows a quick free kick. In this case, the sanction for the DOGSO offence is reduced to a YC, so when the ball is next out of play, the player receives the YC for the reckless tackle, which is a more serious offence in terms of its physical severity.
