Yellow Cards - Are They Slowly Killing The Joy of Football?

Are Yellow Cards Too Easy to Give Out in the Modern Game?

The yellow card, known to the average fan as a booking, was introduced to the game of football as a measure to discourage players on opposing teams from putting each other at risk of physical harm.

Established in the wake of the iconic 1966 World Cup (football came home, don’t you know?) after a number of unclear refereeing decisions, the colour-coding scheme of yellow card for ‘cease and desist’ and red for ‘you’re licked, sunshine’ became a resounding success and was soon employed in all football-playing nations across the globe.

However, in recent years, both red and yellow cards have come under increasing scrutiny from fans, as with time, it seems that less needs to be done in order to be shown one.

Never has this been more clear than in Everton’s last-gasp 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday, when Toffees manager David Moyes was shown the fluorescent yellow card for running onto the pitch in celebration of Beto’s 92nd-minute equaliser. The Scotsman, aged 62, barely got past a jog, and didn’t get anywhere near interfering with the players on the pitch - so what on earth then did he do to deserve a caution?

The celebration that got Everton's David Moyes booked vs Brighton.

Moyes at FT: "I will do it again. If I’d been a bit more mobile, I might have done a knee slide! That would have only got me a yellow as well, so I might as well have gone the whole hog!”pic.twitter.com/OBSb5QfMlz

— Kyama ⚽ (@ElijahKyama_) February 1, 2026

No One Knows the Threshold Anymore

In his post-match interview, the former Manchester United manager let his feelings be known in no uncertain terms. In his quintessentially Scottish manner, he said, “F*cking sad, isn’t it?”

We completely understand where he’s coming from. Saving a point away from home, against a devilishly tricky Brighton side, any goal is worth celebrating, particularly one scored in second-half overtime to keep your side in the top half of the table.

Enzo Maresca suffered similar punishment earlier in the campaign - in the wake of a 95th-minute winner against reigning champions Liverpool, Maresca ran the length of the touchline to join the celebrations in the corner, an act that earned him a second yellow card, and subsequently, a red.

From the bench to scoring an equaliser in a matter of moments!🏃

BIG moment from Beto for @Everton 🔵 pic.twitter.com/UrAveCKNwc

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 1, 2026

In years gone by, these moments of unbridled mayhem would have gone unpunished - in fact, one of the most famous celebrations in football saw Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Kidd jump for joy and drop to their knees on the pitch in the wake of Steve Bruce’s dramatic winner against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. Something tells me that neither Kidd nor Ferguson was booked back then.

It just goes to show that the threshold is becoming significantly harder to judge - football fans certainly appreciate the introduction of yellow cards for time-wasting and kicking balls away, but other initiatives, such as handing out bookings for knee slides and manager celebrations, remove any ounce of passion from the game - soon enough, players will start getting booked if they don’t immediately run back to the halfway line when they score.

Moyesey Speaks for Us All

“Getting booked for that? Imagine booking for celebrating. Who wanted to see managers getting booked for celebrating? I wouldn’t mind it if the goal was in the 55th minute, if you know what I mean. But it means they (the referees) have got nothing about them at all, not thoughts about what football means.”

It was a scathing indictment of the state of English refereeing stance from Moyes, who in simple terms was accusing the officials of removing the joy from the sport. What is football without beautifully chaotic and unscripted moments that come with late goals and unexpected drama?

The sport simply wouldn’t be the same without them, so to punish teams and individuals for just such acts is tantamount to footballing treason, so anti to the very nature of the game that it almost beggars belief.

A man of the people, Moyes stood his ground and fully committed to the point he was making, saying, “I’m still shaking my head, and I bloody will do it again. Honestly, I think if I were a bit more mobile, I might have done a knee slide! See, that would have only got me a yellow card as well, so I might as well have gone the whole hog!”

“Imagine getting booked for celebrating… fucking sad, you know what I mean?” 😡

David Moyes hit out after being booked for celebrating Everton’s late equaliser and joked he’d have done a knee slide too if he was more mobile saying he’d do it all again 🏃‍♂️💥 pic.twitter.com/ZgShysZhQn

— BeanymanSports (@BeanymanSports) January 31, 2026

Without characters like Moyes, like Guardiola, like Ian Holloway (who himself gave a mental interview yesterday), the game becomes boring, predictable, overly strict and sterilised. In simple terms, it stops being the beautiful game, and instead becomes a chore to watch.

Let me put it into a TV show perspective - would you watch a show without unpredictable characters? Without complex villains? Without funny sidekicks? Without people who give the show meaning, life and durability? I certainly wouldn’t.

That is why Moyes’ statement in his post-match conference was so important – it addressed a problem that has seen countless fans fall out of love with the game in recent years.

This is in no small part down to the introduction of VAR, whose long-winded checks for red cards, penalties and handballs have received more than their fair share of criticism. What is more, the introduction of technology has not only seen referees become more reliant on their electrical sidekick but also become more strict on the aspects of the game that they are in total control of, such as touchline behaviour and allegedly overcooked celebrations.

I ask you - what is the point in removing the joy from a game that was built on precisely that emotion?

Where Does Refereeing Go From Here?

It’s no secret that the image of the English refereeing game is at an all-time low. Weekly decision-making scandals consistently raise questions about the quality of officiating in the Premier League and EFL, while off-the-pitch scandals (David Coote, cough cough) continue to tarnish their reputation as individuals as well as on-pitch officials.

Something needs to give, and I highly doubt it will be the game that gives way to referees. For the sport to stay healthy, it must be the other way around.

Bookings for diving, time wasting and doing the dreaded “CARD HIM” gesture were all steps in the right direction - none of those are in the spirit of the game, and the less screen time they get, the better.

David Moyes booking was EMBARRASSING - referees have lost sight of the game

✍️ @johncrossmirror https://t.co/1EoEOLZxrZ pic.twitter.com/xqdjCdYbVc

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) February 1, 2026

But any progress made in recent years has been undone by the recent introductions of yellow cards for knee slides and excessive manager celebrations - ‘celebrate with caution’ is the term used to advise touchline staff on how to manage themselves. Nothing has ever yelled “Game’s gone” more than that.

The English FA need to realise the error they have made in introducing these overly controlling new rules, and if they are to maintain the integrity of the English game, they need to swallow their pride and take a step back. If the game's biggest and best characters are not allowed to be themselves, and moments of unhinged joy are not allowed to be celebrated without restriction, the game becomes close to unwatchable.

Restrictions are necessary for football to remain the most followed sport on the planet – regulation is crucial in the success of anything, be it a sport, company, or simply an individual. But overdoing it simply suffocates the emotions that the game is supposed to play on. The joy, despair, worry and anticipation are what keep bringing us back, and if any one of these is removed from the game, it will be infinitely worse off for it.