Disciplinary Rules of Football: A Comparative Analysis of Foul and Yellow Card Data Across Major Leagues

Abstract

This study aims to examine the disciplinary rules of football and their effects on different leagues. Foul and yellow card data from the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga, Brazilian S & eacute;rie A and Turkish Super League in the 2023-2024 season were analyzed. The research aimed to understand the differences between each league's playing style, player behavior and referee decisions. The data was retrieved from the Wyscout database and the number of fouls and yellow cards and foul/yellow card ratios of the leagues were statistically compared. The findings showed that the Brazilian league had the highest foul and yellow card averages (p=0.012, p=0.016) while the English league had the lowest number of fouls but the highest foul to yellow card conversion rate (p=0.011). This conversion rate was found to be the lowest in the Turkish and Italian leagues. These results reflect the diversity of disciplinary practices and referee decision-making mechanisms between leagues, as well as the differences in tactical understanding of players and coaches. The research highlights the need to standardize the rules of the game and improve refereeing practices. The presence of talented players in Brazilian football, their capacity to display their talents and the fact that these players can only be stopped by fouls may be one reason for the significance of the foul/yellow card ratio. The study makes important contributions to better understand the effects of game dynamics on discipline and fair play in the world's major leagues.