Two paths to dismissal

A player can be sent off in one of two ways:

• Straight red — a single offence severe enough to warrant immediate dismissal
• Second yellow — two cautionable offences in the same match, the second triggering a red

Both end the match for the player and reduce the team to ten. The distinction matters because of how the red is recorded — and what VAR can do about it.

What earns a straight red

Law 12 lists seven sending-off offences:

1. Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by handball (DOGSO handball)
2. Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a foul that was not a genuine attempt to play the ball
3. Serious foul play
4. Violent conduct
5. Spitting at any person
6. Biting any person
7. Using offensive, insulting, or abusive language and/or actions

Any of those is a straight red. The card stands without a prior yellow.

What earns a second yellow

A second yellow comes from any of the seven cautionable offences:

• Unsporting behaviour
• Dissent by word or action
• Persistent infringement of the Laws
• Delaying the restart of play
• Failing to respect the required distance
• Entering or re-entering the field without permission
• Deliberately leaving the field without permission

A player already on a yellow who commits any of these — even something as minor as time-wasting at a throw-in — is sent off via the second-yellow path.

VAR can review one, not the other

This is the surprising part. VAR's reviewable categories are limited:

• Goals and pre-goal incidents
• Penalty decisions
• Direct (straight) red card incidents
• Mistaken identity

Notice what's missing: second yellow cards. VAR cannot recommend that a referee retract a yellow card or overturn a second-yellow red. Once two yellows have been issued, the dismissal stands — even if replay shows one of the yellows was harshly given.

This is by design. VAR was scoped to "clear and obvious" errors on match-deciding decisions. Yellow cards are inherently subjective, and re-reviewing every booking would slow play to a crawl.

What the 2026/27 changes consider

IFAB has discussed allowing limited VAR review for second yellow cards, mistaken identity, and clearly incorrect corner kicks as competition options — meaning leagues could opt in. As of the 2026/27 cycle, this is being trialled rather than universally adopted.

Practical consequences

• A player on a yellow has a strict cap on their behaviour for the rest of the match
• Teams substitute booked players late in close games to avoid the second-yellow risk
• Disciplinary panels often apply different ban lengths for second-yellow reds versus straight reds
• A straight red for serious foul play or violent conduct typically carries a longer suspension than a second-yellow red