Arsenal legend Ian Wright has voiced his discontent with the UEFA rule that automatically suspends players who accumulate more than one yellow card before the semi-final stage of the European Championship.
Ian Wright has criticized the UEFA rule as “ridiculous,” emphasizing that it doesn’t make sense for a player to potentially miss a semi-final game just for receiving one yellow card in the first match of a tournament and another in the knockout rounds.
In previous tournaments, there was a common belief that yellow cards accumulated in the group stage would be wiped clean for the knockout stage, allowing players to start afresh.
However, in the current 2024 European Championship, UEFA has implemented a rule where yellow cards received in the group stage carry over into the knockout stage. This means players must be cautious throughout the tournament to avoid suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards.
The current UEFA Euro 2024 rule states that if a player accumulates two yellow cards between the group stage and the quarter-final stage, they will be suspended for one game.
However, if a player receives only one yellow card during this period and their team progresses to the semi-finals, that yellow card is wiped off, allowing the player a clean slate for subsequent matches.
This rule has notably affected Spain’s national team in the ongoing tournament. Players Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand will miss the semi-finals due to the two yellow cards they received in earlier stages of the competition, underscoring the significant impact of disciplinary decisions on team selections in crucial matches.
Ian Wright expressed his strong disapproval of the UEFA Euro 2024 rule during a segment on ITV, stating, “That’s ridiculous.
We are five games in now so you can get booked in the first game and then the fourth game and miss the semi-final.
It’s too much. When these players [for Spain] settle down, some of them will realise they are missing a semi-final.”
