Yellow, red, and orange.
No, we’re not talking about the colors of the fashionable World Cup referee jerseys nor are we talking about the sea of colors that engulf the German World Cup stadia. These are the colors are flashed every time a referee blows a whistle on a hard challenge, a vibrating tackle or shirt pull that stops a player’s rapid advancement of the ball forward.
But orange? Although not an official color of a referee’s card, it is a color that is considered by the referee when a borderline red foul is committed.
Even the casual soccer enthusiast has seen or heard of a yellow card or red card and most teams will, at some time during the World Cup, fall victim to one of these refereeing tools.
The World Cup has now moved to a stage where each team has played once and has two games left in the preliminary round. During the preliminary and final rounds, yellow cards – also know as “cautions” – are cumulative within that round. Two cautions in a round requires the player to sit out the following game. A team in the second round or knockout phase of the tournament has all its yellow cards erased when it advances and the count restarts. All red cards require an automatic one-game suspension.
Why is this important? Because inevitably, the accumulation of two yellow cards will cause key players to miss critical matches. In the single elimination phase of the World Cup, this could cost a team the chance to advance. Germany’s top goal scorer Michael Ballack had to miss the 2002 World Cup Final against Brazil because he received a caution in a Round of Sixteen game and in the semifinal. Not having his potent foot in the final forced Germany to rely on less-proven goal scorers.
Even though Ballack’s cautions caused him to miss the final, the two cards he earned in 2002 provide good examples of both good and bad cautions. The striker’s first yellow card came with less than a minute left in Germany’s Round of 16 game versus Paraguay. Bad decision on Ballack’s part, because Germany was already winning the game 1-0 and there was virtually no time on the clock. In the semifinal against host Korea, Ballack received his second yellow card 71 minutes into the match. This time, his action served as an example of a good yellow card. Why? Ballack’s foul stopped a clear scoring opportunity for Korea. But because of Ballack’s first yellow card, this “good” decision ultimately hurt him. Professionals must think, use common sense and be aware of their surroundings on the field. And keep their emotions in check.
There is an “unofficial” card that the referee considers when a foul or offense occurs that is borderline red. In other words, the foul is somewhere between a yellow card and a red card.
In this case, the experience of the referee is tested. The referee asks himself: “Does the foul warrant a red card and the expulsion of the player thereby causing his team to play shorthanded?” Causing a team to compete a player down for the balance of the game can be a result-altering decision. Referees want to start the game with 11 players per side and finish with 11. However, players often tie the hands of the referees.
When an orange card situation arises, the unwritten rule is that the referee should consider other factors prior to making a decision – like the time the offense occurred in the game, the score and the “temperature” of the game.
During the 2002 World Cup, I refereed the match between England and Nigeria. This marked the final game for each team in the preliminary stage. Going into the game, I did my homework. Three English players, Emile Heskey, Ashley Cole, and Sol Campbell each had received a yellow card in one of the two earlier games. I knew England had already qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament and Nigeria would be headed home. Armed with this information, I set my tactics to ensure I did everything I could – without cheating – to ensure the players would not receive a yellow card and, thus, be eligible for the upcoming Round of 16 game.
Prevention: That is refereeing.
