With 2012 now almost upon us, the New Year’s 5 yellow card amnesty is also in full flow. All players now reaching the 5 card level this season will be exempt from the customary one match ban, and instead saddled with merely a warning to their future conduct. Good news for us Fantasy managers, then.
Less good news, however, is that with the passing of the 5 card deadline, another more stringent 10 yellow card sanction is imposed. This time, the stakes are doubled and any player achieving 10 yellow cards before ‘the second Sunday in April’ (or the end of gameweek 32) will now be automatically suspended for two matches.
Those facts in place, let’s round up where we stand:
The 25 players currently sitting on 4 yellow cards can now breathe freely again in the knowledge that another booking will not incur an immediate ban. As confirmed by West Brom earlier in the week, that includes Paul Scharner (and the injured Steven Reid) when the Baggies play host to Everton tomorrow.
Having already served their punishment, there are 10 further players who have already picked up 6 or more yellow cards and are inching their way towards that second ban:
| 8 yellow cards: | Jason Lowe (Blackburn) |
| 7 yellow cards: | John Terry (Chelsea) |
| Joey Barton (QPR) | |
| 6 yellow cards: | Alex Song (Arsenal) |
| Stephen N’Zonzi (Blackburn) | |
| Lucas Leiva (Liverpool) | |
| Gareth Barry (Man City) | |
| Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) | |
| Stephen Hunt (Wolves) |
The eagle-eyed amongst you will note that there are only 9 players in the list above, and the even more discerning will note the missing man is Wigan’s Gary Caldwell. Already on 7 yellow cards, he went one better in the Saturday games handling Cameron Jerome’s goalbound header to earn himself a straight red card and a one match ban under Law 12(4).
The final piece of disciplinary business to round up is the publishing by The FA of the written reasons in the case against Luis Suarez. If you want to lose yourself in them, then you can find them here (summarised in section IX, point 453 – pages 111-114), but the salient point for Fantasy managers is that the 2 week clock now starts ticking for Liverpool and Suarez to launch an appeal if they so choose.
Accept the charges and the pending eight game ban will start immediately (and this could happen at any point between now and the 13th January cut off). Challenge them by means of appeal and any punishment will be delayed until that process is complete – likely to be weeks and months from now.
GAMEWEEK 20 BANS
- Gary Caldwell (Wigan) – 1 Red for denying a goal by handling the ball (1 match)
- Nenad Milijaš (Wolves) – 1 Red for serious foul play (Second of 3 matches)
