Caution
A formal warning issued by an official for misconduct, shown in football by a yellow card, that is recorded against the offending player.
Definition
A caution is an official disciplinary warning that a player's conduct has breached the rules. In association football a caution is signalled by a yellow card and recorded by the referee; two cautions in the same match result in a red card and a send-off. Cautionable offences include unsporting behaviour, dissent, persistent infringement, delaying the restart of play, and entering or leaving the field without permission.
The caution serves as a formal record and a deterrent rather than an immediate expulsion, giving the player notice that further misconduct carries heavier consequences. Similar warning mechanisms exist across sports under different names and signals, but in football the terms 'caution' and 'yellow card' describe two sides of the same sanction: one the ruling, the other its visible signal.
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Officiating
- RefereeThe primary on-field official who enforces the rules, controls play, penalises fouls, awards restarts, and blows the whistle to start and stop a match.
- Penalty SignalA standardized hand or flag signal an official uses to announce a foul, penalty, or restart so players, teammates, and spectators can read the call.
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- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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