UEFA Champions League: yellow card rules in football tournament and can they be wiped? Booking rules explained

The Champions League once again returns this week with the return legs of the last 16 fixtures. The first leg saw Real Madrid stars woken up by a firework display at 2am only to go on and beat their hosts by five goals to two. They were not the only English side to be at the end of a defeat as both Chelsea and Tottenham will have much work to do if they are to have a chance at making it through to the final eight.

Ahead of the first leg, one Englishman had great cause for celebration as he became just the fourth Englishmen to have managed a club in the Champions League knock-out stages. Former Fulham chief Scott Parker joined the group - which includes Harry Redknapp (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Craig Shakespeare (Leicester) - when his side, Club Brugge take on Benfica.

This number then grew once again when Chelsea’s Graham Potter joined the mix as the Blues faced Dortmund. Unfortunately, both managers suffered a loss and will hope to rectify the defeat on home soil this week.

As the managers prepare for their first taste of last 16 Champions League drama, here are all the rules pertaining to yellow cards they must adhere to...

When can yellow cards be wiped in UEFA Champions League?

According to the regulations of the UEFA Champions League any player or team official who is sent off from the field is automatically suspended for the next match in a UEFA club competition. Accumulating three yellows also result in a one match suspension, but all yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals and do not carry forward to the semi-finals.

Additionally, for those teams who entered the competition through the play-offs, any yellow cards or pending yellows expire on the completion of the play-offs and are not carried forward to the group stage. Any cautions or pending yellow-card suspensions from UEFA competitions then expire at the end of the season.

Which players are currently suspended?

There will only be one player ineligable to play in the last 16 which is Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. He will be able to return to the second leg of the last 16.

There are five players who are reportedly uneligible to play in the Champions League, according to Transfermarkt:

When are the next round of UEFA Champions League fixtures?

This week and next week will show the second leg of the round of 16 fixtures, in which Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all feature. All of the matches are available to watch on BT Sport and monthly passes for BT Sport cost from £25/month.

(All times shown are GMT)

Tuesday 7 March 2023:

Wednesday 8 March 2023:

Tuesday 14 March 2023:

Wednesday 15 March 2023: