Yellow and red cards are as much a part of football as goals. They usually come for fouls and for arguing with the referee, though sometimes for things nobody saw coming. If you bet regularly, I’d say you should know at least the basic yellow card stats. Below I explain what else is worth checking in football card stats, and which markets it actually helps with.
Cards statistics are usually kept for leagues, teams, players and referees. A quick look at the numbers shows that the most cards are shown in South American competitions. The temperament of the players there surely plays a part, though I’m not sure it’s the only reason. Referees and club culture count too.
When you look at the stats, check specific players of the team you want to bet on. Some of them are far more likely to get a card, no matter the situation. A player booked in every fourth match is already worth a note, and for a defensive midfielder I’d say it’s not even unusual.
In the top five leagues, the most yellow cards are shown in Spain’s Primera Division. Together with Serie A, it’s the only top 5 league where one team averages more than 2 yellow cards per game. So the average yellow cards per match is particularly high there, and there’s plenty of material to analyse. You can check it on the La Liga and Serie A pages.
At the other end is the Premier League. Referees there often let the game flow to keep the pace high, which you can see in the Premier League numbers. Not always, of course. Some of the biggest rivalries still end with a handful of bookings.
Fouls lead to cards, but not in a straight line. A team can commit a lot of fouls and receive few yellow cards, depending on where and how it fouls. That’s why I’d look at fouls statistics next to the card numbers, and then check the referee card stats on our referees page. Some referees show a yellow at the first hint of contact, others wait. Two matches with the same teams can end very differently depending on who whistles.
Just like match results or goals, cards also hold numerous interesting records, though they’re often not too flattering. Those who hold them are often labeled as aggressive players. Below are a few intriguing cases.
By far, the most cards are shown in Bolivia. In the 2022/23 season the average was very close to 8 cards per match. Around 98% of games there ended with over 4 cards. That makes an over 3.5 cards bet interesting for this league. Peru and Panama follow, which supports what I said earlier about players in the Americas being more impulsive. Probably.
The most red cards in a match were shown in a clash between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in the Argentine fifth division in 2011. It was extremely aggressive. After four players were sent off, a full brawl started, involving everyone from starters to substitutes and coaches.
The referee, Damián Rubino, recorded 36 red cards in the match report: 22 for players on the field and 14 for substitutes and staff. I’m not sure what’s more surprising, the number or the fact that someone had to write all of it down.
The record for red cards belongs to Gerardo Bedoya. The Colombian spent his career in Colombia and Argentina and received 46 red cards in 20 years, more than 2 per year. This doesn’t include two more reds with the national team and later as a coach.
Sergio Ramos is second with 26 red cards. Known for his aggressive style, many of his fouls led to penalties for opponents. If you follow penalty bets, our penalties stats go well with this.
Bookmakers compete in the number of markets they offer, and the same goes for cards. So, what kinds of bets are available for cards in football?
A few rules matter more in this market than in most others. They won’t guarantee anything, I should say that right away.
For the first half markets, I’d also use our first half and second half stats. And if a team is on a run of bookings, it can be useful to see it next to match streaks.
Few people know this, but there’s also something called a white card, introduced in Portugal in 2018. It differs from yellow and red cards because it can be awarded for positive behavior, specifically actions that demonstrate excellent conduct or fair play.
The first white card was shown on January 21, 2023, during a women’s match. In a match between Benfica and Sporting, one of the fans collapsed, and the medical staff quickly attended to them, earning the white card for their actions.
A white card can be given for fair play and behavior that is worthy of praise and emulation. Hopefully, we will see more cards of this color shown in stadiums.
Currently, white cards are just an additional initiative in Portugal, so it’s hard to speak of substantial statistics in this field. Perhaps if fair play cards are introduced worldwide, bookmakers may take an interest in this market as well.
