
7 + 7
Cautionable
Sending-Off
Offenses
Julie Ilacqua
Chair, Referee Committee
Esfandiar Baharmast
Director of Officials
Alfred Kleinaitis
Manager of Referee Development and Education
UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION

7
CAUTIONABLE OFFENSES
A player is cautioned and shown the
yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
1. is guilty of unsporting behavior
(UB)
- Commits a penal foul in a
reckless manner
- Commits a penal foul while
tackling for the ball from behind
- Commits a tactical foul
designed to interfere with or impede an opposing teams
attacking play
- Commits an act deemed by the
referee as bringing the game into disrepute (e.g.,
aggressive attitude, inflammatory behavior, or taunting)
- Pushes or holds (including
holding the opponent's uniform) to interfere with that
opponents attacking play
- Handles the ball deliberately
to interfere with an opponents attacking play
- Handles the ball deliberately
to score a goal
- Fakes an injury or
exaggerates the seriousness of an injury
- Fakes a foul (dives) or
exaggerates the severity of the foul
- Interferes with or prevents
the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands
into play
- Unfairly distracts or impedes
an opponent performing a throw-in; this is a mandatory
caution
- Verbally distracts an
opponent during play or at a restart
- If identified as the kicker,
engages in unfair deception while taking a penalty kick
- Changes jerseys with the
goalkeeper during play or without the referees
permission; this is a mandatory caution for both
players
- Engages in trickery to
circumvent the goalkeepers limitation on handling a
ball played from a teammates foot (the defender who
initiates the "trickery" is cautioned and the
decision does not require that the goalkeeper actually
handles the ball); this is a mandatory caution
whether it occurs during dynamic play or at a restart
2. shows dissent by word or action (DT)
- Verbally or through action
disputes or shows contempt for an official's decision
- If playing as a goalkeeper,
leaves the penalty area (not beckoned by the referee) to
engage an official in debate regarding a decision
3. persistently infringes the Laws
of the Game (PI)
- Repeatedly commits fouls or
participates in a pattern of fouls directed at an
opponent
- Violates Law 14 again, having
previously been warned
- Fails to start or restart
play properly or promptly, having previously been warned
- If playing as goalkeeper,
wastes time, having previously been warned or penalized
for this behavior
4. delays the restart of play(DR)
- Kicks or throws the ball away
or holds the ball to prevent a free kick restart by an
opponent
- Kicks or throws the ball away
or holds the ball to prevent a throw-in or corner kick by
an opponent
- Fails to restart play after
being so instructed by the referee
- Excessively celebrates a goal
- Fails to return to the field
upon conclusion of the midgame break, fails to perform a
kick-off when signaled by the referee, or fails to be in
a correct position for a kick-off
5. fails to respect the required
distance when play is restarted with a corner kick or free kick (FRD)
- Does not retire at least ten
yards away from an opponent's free kick
- Does not retire at least ten
yards away from an opponents corner kick
6. enters or re-enters the field of
play without the referee's permission (E)
- Illegally returning to the
field having previously been substituted; this is a mandatory
caution
- After a player at fault is
instructed to leave the field to correct his equipment;
this is a mandatory caution
- After a player leaves the
field for an injury
- After a player leaves the
field for bleeding or blood on the uniform
- Illegally entering the field
as a substitute without having received a signal to do so
from the referee; this is a mandatory caution
7. deliberately leaves the field of
play without the referee's permission (L)
- Leaves the field to place an
opponent in an offside position
- Leaves the field other than
through the normal course of play
7
SENDING-OFF
OFFENSES
A player is sent off and shown the red
card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
- is guilty of serious foul
play (SFP)
- is guilty of violent conduct
(VC)
- spits at an opponent or any
other person (S)
- denies the opposing team a
goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by
deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to
the goalkeeper within his own penalty area) (DGH)
- denies an obvious goal-scoring
opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's
goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty
kick (DGF)
- uses offensive, insulting or
abusive language (AL)
- receives a second caution in
the same match (2CT)