In which year were red and yellow penalty cards first used in football?

Penalty cards are used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalizing a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense.

Yellow cards to indicate a caution and red cards to indicate an expulsion were used for the first time in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. The use of penalty cards has since been adopted and expanded by several sporting codes, with each sport adapting the idea to its specific set of rules or laws.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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11 Comments

Nicholas Miernicki

Ann Young, Wow, quizzclub was around in 1902? How was it transmitted, via telegraph?

Ann Young

Nicholas Miernicki, Wasn't1902 the earliest date?

Joe Mangan

Alan Hardy, not quite. "Soccer" is widely used in Ireland, especially in rural Ireland where "football" invariably means Gaelic football. "Football " means different codes in different countries, usually the most popular code in a particular country. I'm not sure, but I think "soccer" has currency in major rugby countries such as Australia and New Zealand. I have heard one or two Irish alickadoos refer to rugby as football. Confusing, since rugby is really handball. :)

fdeisner

I thought it was earlier than 1970 but wasn't exactly sure what year so I looked it up and found out this. Red and yellow cards were invented in 1966 by Ken Aston who was responsible for overseeing the referees at that year’s World Cup. With the variety of languages spoken in the World Cup, Aston saw several instances where it was not always clear to both players and spectators what decision the referee was making during the game.

Richard G Schwartz

Had to have been the earliest date.

Alan Hardy

Gene Chapman, Soccer doesn't exist anywhere in the world apart from America

Sue Grayson

Gene Chapman, Soccer IS football. The ONLY real football. The other codes use their hands.

Gene Chapman

Have not seen it in football but have in soccer.

Nicholas Miernicki

Isn't this a repeat?

Ken Jackson

Iswardew Matai, nothing was used - the referee would simply tell a player he was being given a caution or being sent off, and record it in his little book. Hence the expression 'being booked'. The cards were introduced to make it more obvious to spectators and off-field officials.