The 2023/24 Premier League season included some rule changes to combat deliberate time-wasting and unfair play in England’s top flight.
Under the updated rules, referees have adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards blatant attempts by players to waste time and disrupt the flow of matches, including the cynical delay of opposition free kicks.
This has led to an increase in yellow and red cards since the start of the campaign, with referees seeking to invoke the new rules forcefully and thus increase injury time at the end of matches.
Yellow and red cards have certainly increased following the new changes and The Sporting News takes a look at how the Premier League’s suspension rules work and who has received the most yellow and red cards during the 2023/24 season.
MORE: Premier League final table 2023/24
Premier League yellow and red card suspension rules
The standard rules of the game remain the same in the Premier League, with two yellow cards in a match equivalent to one red and the immediate sending off of a player.
A sending off for two yellow cards will result in an instant one-match ban in the Premier League, with a straight red card resulting in a three-match ban, which can be increased or decreased in certain scenarios where violent conduct is involved.
Suspension rules are also in place for the accumulation of yellow cards throughout a season. Players will be suspended for one match if they receive five yellow cards in the first 19 matches of the season. If 10 yellow cards are received before/including the 32nd match of the season, a player will be banned for two additional matches.
Who has the most red cards and yellow cards in the Premier League in 2023/24?
Fulham João Palhinha And Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth were the players with the most yellow cards in the Premier League in 2023/24, with 13.
Chelsea set a new record for the most yellow cards received (105), breaking the league record of 101 set by Leeds United in the 2021/22 season.
Below are the players who have collected the most yellow cards during the Premier League season.
Data updated on May 19, 2024
Premier League Yellow Card Leaders 2023/24
| Player | Team | Yellow cards | Matches |
| João Palhinha | Fulham | 13 | 32 |
| Marcos Senesi | Bournemouth | 13 | 31 |
| Douglas-Luis | Aston Villa | 12 | 35 |
| Nelson Semedo | wolves | 11 | 36 |
| João Gomes | wolves | 11 | 34 |
| Moses Caicedo | Chelsea | 11 | 35 |
Premier League red card leaders 2023/24
Three Premier League players have been sent off more than once this season: Olivier McBurnie from Sheffield United, Yves Bissouma from the captain of Tottenham and Chelsea James Reece.
James’ dismissal in the Blues’ 2-1 win at Brighton on May 15 capped an injury-marred season, with his two red cards racking up in just 421 minutes on the pitch.
For Premier League red cards, the type of sending off determines the length of the suspension.
A three-match suspension is triggered when players are sent off for violent conduct or dangerous fouls, while a one-match suspension is triggered for sending off for a second yellow card or a foul by the last player.
The FA can also review incidents and add an additional period of suspension at its discretion, such as when Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was handed an additional one-match suspension for referee abuse after receiving a second booking YELLOW.
On 2 December, McBurnie became the first player to receive two red cards this season, when he received a second booking against Burnley just before half-time. This meant the usual tire of a game had an extra charge as it was his second dismissal of the campaign.
Bissouma followed suit on December 15 with a straight red as Tottenham won at Nottingham Forest.
Data correct as of 11 May 2024. Includes red cards which were subsequently overturned during post-match review.
Under Suspended Matches, the first number indicates the suspended matches required for the red card displayed, plus additional matches in parentheses for additional punishments.
| Player | Team | Red cards | Matches Suspended |
| Olivier McBurnie | Sheffield United | 2 | 2 (1) |
| Yves Bissouma | Tottenham | 2 | 4 (1) |
| James Reece | Chelsea | 2 | 4(1)# |
| Fabio Vieira | Arsenal | 1 | 3 |
| Joe Worrall | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 3 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 1 | 2 |
| Manuel Akanji | Manchester City | 1 | 1 |
| Ashley Young | Everton | 1 | 1 |
| Nayef Aguerd | Western Ham | 1 | 1 |
| Calvin Bassey | Fulham | 1 | 1 |
| Matheus Nunes | wolves | 1 | 1 |
| Tim Réam | Fulham | 1 | 1 |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Arsenal | 1 | 1 |
| Anas Zaroury | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Curtis Jones | Liverpool | 1 | 3 |
| Diogo Jota | Liverpool | 1 | 1 |
| Alexis MacAllister | Liverpool | 1 | 0* |
| Lyle Foster | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 1 | 3 |
| Jean Bellegarde | wolves | 1 | 3 |
| Malo Gusto | Chelsea | 1 | 3 |
| Moussa Niakhate | Not. Forest | 1 | 1 |
| Mario Lemina | wolves | 1 | 1 |
| Connor Roberts | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Jean-Ricner Bellegarde | wolves | 1 | 3 |
| Lewis Cook | Bournemouth | 1 | 3 |
| Christian Romero | Tottenham | 1 | 3 |
| Destiny Udogie | Tottenham | 1 | 1 |
| Mahmoud Dahoud | Brighton | 1 | 3 |
| Lewis Dunk | Brighton | 1 | 1 |
| James Reece | Chelsea | 1 | 1 |
| Conor Gallagher | Chelsea | 1 | 1 |
| Jordan Ayew | Crystal Palace | 1 | 1 |
| Ben Mee | Brentford | 1 | 3 |
| Boubacar Kamara | Aston Villa | 1 | 3 |
| Diogo Dalot | Man Plain | 1 | 1 |
| Willy Boly | Not. Forest | 1 | 1 |
| Sander Bergé | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Rhian Brewster | Sheffield United | 1 | 3 |
| Vladimir Coufal | Western Ham | 1 | 1 |
| Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool | 1 | 1 |
| Raul Jiménez | wolves | 1 | 2 |
| Philippe Invoicing | Bournemouth | 1 | 3 |
| Calvin Phillips | Western Ham | 1 | 1 |
| Mason Holgate | Sheffield United | 1 | 3 |
| Billie Gilmour | Brighton | 1 | 3 |
| John McGinn | Aston Villa | 1 | 3 |
| Sergio Reguilon | Brentford | 1 | 3 |
| Anthony Gordon | Newcastle | 1 | 1 |
| Lorenz Assignon | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Milos Kerkez | Bournemouth | 1 | 3 |
| Issa Diop | Fulham | 1 | 1 |
*The player had a red card overturned by league review after the match, resulting in any potential suspension being removed.
# Three game suspensions will continue next season.
Premier League TV Channels 2023/24, Live Streams
| Regions | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| India | Featured sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| UNITED KINGDOM | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| UNITED STATES | American network, Telemundo, Universe |
FuboPeacock |
UNITED KINGDOM: Matches are broadcast on streaming and television platforms Sky Sports and TNT Sports, with selected matches on Amazon Prime.
UNITED STATES: Some matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and on all three channels. can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are broadcast on the NBC Peacock platform for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League match this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canadawith discounts currently over 9% for annual plans and over 20% for quarterly and monthly plans.
Australia: Australian fans can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: The Star Sports network has the rights to broadcast Premier League matches in India. In addition to an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, some matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
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