Foul vs. Card
What is a foul, and when does a foul become a yellow card, or worse, a red card? And what do yellow and red cards mean?
There are a list of basic fouls in soccer that will result in a free kick being awarded to the team the foul was committed against. These free kicks can be indirect, or direct (more on those later!).
The basic fouls in soccer make up the majority of calls a referee will make.
Fouls in soccer include:
- Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
- Tripping or attempting to trip an opponent
- Jumping at an opponent
- Charging an opponent
- Striking or attempting to strike an opponent
- Pushing an opponent
- Tackling an opponent
- Holding an opponent
- Spitting at an opponent
- Using your hands on the ball deliberately (except the goalkeeper when they are in their own penalty area)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzFGzvWAW5k A video example of a foul on Lionel Messi – this is sort of a combination of fouls, with a sort of trip/charge/push on Messi by an opponent, but does not reach the level of a yellow or red card.
When a foul is committed, the team that was fouled is awarded a free kick. In most cases however, if the player who committed the foul touched the ball before they touched the player, a foul will likely not be called. It is up to the referee to determine if the player was going for the ball, which is allowed, or trying to go after the opposing player, which is not allowed.
It is important to remember that many fouls, and whether or not to give a player a yellow or red card, is very subjective, and up to the referee’s point of view.
As the video shows, the foul committed against Messi was a careless play, and the opposing player, Ronaldo, was not completely going for the ball. Most fouls are considered “careless” fouls.
When the foul, under the discretion of the referee, becomes “reckless,” a yellow card may be given to the player who committed the foul. The referee is essentially “warning” the player, that they are being reckless, and could injure another player. If you get 2 yellow cards in a single game, they equal a red card, and you are ejected from the game. Best to avoid getting any!
When the foul is considered by the referee to include use of “excessive force,” a red card is given to the player who committed the foul. This results in an automatic or immediate ejection from the game, and the player cannot return to the field. Additionally, the team who’s player committed the foul cannot replace the ejected player, meaning they play a “man down” or with less players than the other team, for the remainder of the game.
Many times, a regular tripping or tackling foul becomes a red card foul if the player tackles their opponent with “studs/cleats up,” meaning they hit their opponent with the cleats of their shoes, which can be much worse than just hitting them with the top of the foot or shoe. Additionally, if they foul a player from behind with a tackle or push, it is a foul often elevated to a yellow or red card, depending on the referee’s discretion, since the fouled player could not see the opponent coming from behind, and puts the player in a dangerous situation to be injured.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/10/23/red-card-everton-luiz-sent-studs-tackle An MLS player slide tackles an opponent with their “studs/cleats up” which is considered dangerous and could seriously injure another player.
It’s important to remember that even accidents can be fouls! And even “sneaky” fouls that are committed when you think the referee isn’t looking, can be caught by sideline referees. Soccer is a contact sport, but it’s best to avoid committing fouls whenever possible.
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