Can a Red Card Be Rescinded?

Yes. A red card can be rescinded through two separate processes: VAR intervention during the match, or a post-match disciplinary appeal. Which applies depends on the competition and the type of red card.

Can VAR overturn a red card during the match?

Yes — but only for straight red cards. VAR can review direct red card decisions and recommend the referee reverse the call if it was a clear and obvious error. The referee then views the incident on a pitchside monitor and makes the final call.

This covers reds for serious foul play, violent conduct, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), and other straight red offences. VAR can also intervene if the referee missed a red card offence entirely and failed to send the player off.

What happens if a red card is rescinded after the match?

When a red card is rescinded through the appeals process after the match:

• The player's automatic suspension is cancelled
• They are available for selection in the next match
• The match result stands regardless of the outcome

The appeals panel reviews the footage and assesses whether the referee's decision was an error under the laws. If the red card is overturned, the player is treated as if they were never dismissed.

Can a second yellow card red be rescinded?

Not by VAR during the match. A second yellow card producing a red is treated as a yellow card offence for VAR purposes — it sits outside the direct red card review category, so VAR cannot intervene. This is one of the more counterintuitive rules: the player leaves the field with a red card, but the decision that produced it is off-limits to VAR.

Post-match appeals may be available for second-yellow reds depending on the competition's rules.

Read more in what VAR can and cannot review, what happens after a red card, second yellow vs straight red, and serious foul play.