Given how much is at stake in a Champions League game, it is no surprise that players will do whatever it takes to finish on the winning team.
But their desperation to win can sometimes land themselves in big trouble with the referee, leaving them heading straight for an early bath.
So, exactly how many games will a player miss after being sent off during a Champions League game?
Let’s take a look at the red card rules in Europe’s premier club competition.
How many games do players miss in the Champions League for a red card?
Players who are sent off in the Champions League will be suspended for one game.
UEFA rules state ‘a player or a team official sent off from the field of play and/or its immediate surrounds, including the technical area, is automatically suspended for the next match in a UEFA club competition.’
However, UEFA has the power to extend the ban in the most serious incidents.
Their rulebook goes on to state ‘in case of serious offences, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body is entitled to augment this punishment, including by extending it to other competitions.’
How many games do players miss for yellow card accumulation?
From the beginning of the group stage, a player will be forced to serve a one match suspension if they receive three yellow cards, of which none of them resulted in a red card.
Players will receive an additional one match suspension for every subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc).
Yellow cards are wiped in the Champions League following the completion of the quarter-finals.
This means that, aside from a red card in the semi-final second leg, players will not be forced to miss the Champions League final as a result of a yellow card suspension.
MORE : When is the Champions League final 2023 and where will it be held?
MORE : How much do Champions League referees get paid?
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