Association football

===Misconduct===
{{main|Foul (association football)}}

====On-field====
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| footer   = Players are cautioned with a yellow card, and dismissed from the game with a red card. These colours were first introduced at the [[1970 FIFA World Cup]] and used consistently since.
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A [[foul (football)|foul]] occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of the Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a [[direct free kick]] or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an [[indirect free kick]].<ref name="fouls"/>

The referee may punish a player's or substitute's [[misconduct (football)|misconduct]] by a caution ([[Penalty card|yellow card]]) or dismissal ([[Penalty card|red card]]). A second yellow card in the same game leads to a red card, which results in a dismissal. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in their official notebook. If a player has been dismissed, no substitute can be brought on in their place and the player may not participate in further play. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while the offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute, substituted player, and to non-players such as managers and support staff.<ref name="fouls" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-13 |title=How cards for managers has improved behaviour in the technical area |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/managers-yellow-red-cards-behaviour-technical-area-a9512561.html |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=13 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113223013/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/managers-yellow-red-cards-behaviour-technical-area-a9512561.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rather than stopping play, the referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/rules_and_equipment/4188646.stm |title=Referee's signals: advantage |work=BBC Sport |access-date=4 March 2011 |date=14 September 2005 |archive-date=12 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112055936/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/rules_and_equipment/4188646.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within "a few seconds". Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at the next stoppage of play.<ref>{{cite book |title=Laws of the Game 2010/2011 |chapter=Law 5: The Referee: Advantage |chapter-url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2010_11_e.pdf |publisher=FIFA |access-date=4 March 2011 |page=66 |archive-date=4 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704211500/https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2010_11_e.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The referee's decision in all on-pitch matters is considered final.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Laws of the Game |chapter=Law 5: The Referee |chapter-url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2011_12_en.pdf |publisher=FIFA |access-date=5 May 2012 |page=24 |archive-date=6 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806182803/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2011_12_en.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The score of a match cannot be altered after the game, even if later evidence shows that decisions (including awards/non-awards of goals) were incorrect.

====Off-field====
{{see also|Foul (association football)#Post-match}}
Along with the general administration of the sport, football associations and competition organisers also enforce good conduct in wider aspects of the game, dealing with issues such as comments to the press, clubs' financial management, [[Doping in sport|doping]], [[Age fraud in association football|age fraud]] and [[match fixing]]. Most competitions enforce mandatory suspensions for players who are sent off in a game.<ref name=FAsuspensions>For example, see [[The Football Association]]'s rules regarding player suspensions in FA competitions: {{cite web|title=Disciplinary procedures|url=http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/2015-16/031g_memorandum-of-disciplinary-procedures-_section-d.ashx|publisher=The Football Association|access-date=1 February 2016|archive-date=6 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106181545/http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/2015-16/031g_memorandum-of-disciplinary-procedures-_section-d.ashx|url-status=live}}</ref> Some on-field incidents, if considered very serious (such as allegations of racial abuse), may result in competitions deciding to impose heavier sanctions than those normally associated with a red card.{{efn|For example, the [[English Premier League]] fined and levied an 8-match suspension on [[Luis Suárez]] for [[Luis Suárez#Racial abuse incident|racially abusing]] [[Patrice Evra]].}} Some associations allow for appeals against player suspensions incurred on-field if clubs feel a referee was incorrect or unduly harsh.<ref name=FAsuspensions/>

Sanctions for such infractions may be levied on individuals or on clubs as a whole. Penalties may include fines, point deductions (in league competitions) or even expulsion from competitions. For example, the [[English Football League]] deduct 12 points from any team that enters [[Administration (British football)|financial administration]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Football League administration penalty raised to 12 points|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/33027933|access-date=17 May 2018|work=BBC Sport|date=5 June 2015|archive-date=4 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804233939/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/33027933|url-status=live}}</ref> Among other administrative sanctions are penalties against game forfeiture. Teams that had forfeited a game or had been forfeited against would be awarded a technical loss or win.