Champions League Yellow Card Suspension Rules Explained
Players face a one-match ban after four yellow cards in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, with cautions wiped after the quarter-finals.
Players who collect four yellow cards in the Champions League will serve a one-match suspension, according to the competition's disciplinary rules. The same threshold applies in the Europa League and Conference League.
The rule operates from the start of the league phase through to the end of the quarter-finals. After that stage, all yellow cards are wiped out, meaning players can no longer be suspended for accumulating multiple cautions later in the competition.
The tally does not stop at four. A player is also suspended upon reaching six, eight or 10 yellow cards, with a one-match ban triggered each time an even number above four is hit.
Five players entered this week's third round of league-phase matches on two yellow cards, leaving them two cautions away from a ban. They are Armando Obispo and Sergino Dest of PSV Eindhoven, Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter Milan, Jan Virgili of Club Brugge and Marlon Gomes of Shakhtar Donetsk.
The guidance comes from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team, which fields reader questions on competition rules. The article does not include supporters' reactions or contrasting views on the disciplinary system.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
