IFAB Chat: Second Yellows and Advantage Played

Referee Michael Oliver looks on during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Liverpool FC at Goodison Park on February 12, 2025 in Liverpool, England. | Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

Demystifying the rule language once again

When a referee waves advantage following a professional foul, often you’ll hear many begging for the official to go back and book the player who committed the offense after the play has transpired.

You’ll notice this seems to rarely ever happen, even though it is a yellow card offense for unsporting behavior when a player “commits any other offence which interferes with or stops a promising attack,” per IFAB.

What is often overlooked, however, is that a yellow card is only given following an advantage if the offense was deemed a yellow for being a reckless foul, not for attempting to stop a promising attack (I think the reasoning here is that advantage means that the foul did not stop the attack, even if it delayed it somewhat).

The specific wording from IFAB is as follows:

If the referee plays the advantage for an offence for which a caution/sending-off would have been issued had play been stopped, this caution/sending-off must be issued when the ball is next out of play. However, if the offence was denying the opposing team an obvious goal-scoring opportunity the player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour; if the offence was interfering with or stopping a promising attack, the player is not cautioned.

If you stop reading there, you might assume Michael Oliver was correct to wave advantage instead of issuing a second yellow and a sending off on Wednesday. The paragraph directly following the above language clarifies:

Advantage should not be applied in situations involving serious foul play, violent conduct or a second cautionable offence unless there is a clear opportunity to score a goal.

So, on Wednesday Michael Oliver should not have played advantage, as we know the definition of a clear opportunity to score a goal is actually quite narrow.

In future, perhaps Liverpool will want to play with more gamesmanship: rather than playing through a professional foul so far from goal with so many defensive players back, it might be better to go down and force the referee to make the decision.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com