After the 48-team group stage concluded, the World Cup has now narrowed to a battle of eight teams. Following a day’s break, FIFA’s marquee event’s quarterfinals kick off from Thursday night, Bangladesh time.
But ahead of this last-eight battle, at least 18 players across the participating teams face a significant worry. A single yellow card in this match means they would have to watch the semifinal from the stands even if their team advances.
As a result, discipline has become just as important as attack and counterattack in every quarterfinal match. A single mistimed tackle, an unnecessary foul, or even an argument with the referee could cost a player their place in the semifinal.
England and Morocco face the biggest worry. Both teams already have four players each who picked up a yellow card in the knockout stage. Each of them will need to be extra cautious in the quarterfinal.
France and Switzerland have three players each at risk, while Argentina, Spain, Belgium and Norway each have one player facing the same risk. In other words, among the eight teams, only Colombia’s players face no such risk.
This is the first World Cup held with 48 teams, adding an extra knockout round. As a result, the yellow-card rules have also changed. Had the old rules remained in place, many star players risked missing knockout matches.
So all yellow cards picked up in the group stage were reset before the knockout stage began. However, players who picked up a yellow card in the round of 32 or round of 16 remain at risk.
Picking up another card in the quarterfinal would automatically trigger a one-match suspension under the standard red-card rule. In that case, even if their team advances to the semifinal, they would be unable to play.
However, the yellow-card count will reset again after the quarterfinals. So no player will miss the final due to yellow cards. But a red card in the semifinal would mean a ban from the final.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee also retains the power to impose additional punishment in cases of serious offenses — though that is a separate matter.
The 18 players at risk of suspension
England: Jude Bellingham, Nico O’Reilly, Declan Rice, Marc Guehi
Morocco: Issa Diop, Achraf Hakimi, Redouane Halhal, Bilal El Khannouss
France: Manu Kone, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola
Switzerland: Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Miro Muheim
Argentina: Gonzalo Montiel
Spain: Ferran Torres
Belgium: Brandon Mechele
Norway: Antonio Nusa
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report