The 2023/24 Premier League season has included some rule changes to clamp down on deliberate time-wasting and foul play across the English top flight.
As part of the updated rules, referees will take a zero-tolerance approach towards blatant attempts by players to waste time and disrupt the flow of matches, including the cynical delaying of opposition free-kicks.
This has seen a rise in yellow and reds cards since the start of the campaign, as referees look to invoke the new rules with firmness and increase the amount of added time at the end of games as a result.
Yellow and red cards could rise as a result of the new changes and The Sporting News looks at how Premier League suspension rules work and who has been given the most yellow and red cards this season.
MORE: Premier League fixtures for 2023/24 season
Standard in-game rules remain the same in Premier League action, with two yellow cards in a match equalling a red, and an immediate player dismissal.
A sending off for two yellow cards will mean an instant one-game Premier League ban, with a straight red card incurring a three-game ban, which can be increased or decreased in certain scenarios where violent conduct is involved.
Suspension rules are also in place for yellow card accumulation throughout a season. Players will be suspended for one game if they receive five yellow cards inside the first 19 games of the season. If 10 yellow cards are picked up before/including the 32nd game of the season, a player will be banned for two further matches.
Fulham’s Joao Palhinha is the player with the most Premier League yellow cards so far in 2023/24, with 13.
So far this season, Chelsea have received the most yellow cards (97). Leeds United (2021/22) hold the record for Premier League bookings in one season (101), a mark that is under threat as Mauricio Pochettino’s side had six games left to play after their 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal.
Below are the players who have collected the most yellow cards so far through the Premier League season.
Data updated on April 28, 2024
| Player | Team | Yellow Cards | Matches |
| Joao Palhinha | Fulham | 13 | 30 |
| Douglas Luiz | Aston Villa | 11 | 32 |
| Marcos Senesi | Bournemouth | 11 | 28 |
| Edson Alvarez | West Ham | 10 | 29 |
| Moises Caicedo | Chelsea | 10 | 30 |
| Joao Gomes | Wolves | 10 | 31 |
| Nelson Semedo | Wolves | 10 | 33 |
| James Tarkowski | Everton | 10 | 35 |
Only two Premier League players have been sent off more than once this season: Oliver McBurnie of Sheffield United, and Yves Bissouma of Tottenham.
For Premier League red cards, the type of sending-off determines the length of 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 being sent off for a second yellow card or a last-man foul.
The FA can also review incidents and tack on additional suspension time as well at its discretion, such as when Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool was handed an additional one-match suspension for referee abuse after picking up a second yellow card.
On December 2, McBurnie became the first player to pick up two red cards this season, when he picked up a second booking against Burnley just before halftime. That means the usual one-match ban had extra tacked on for it being 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 March 30, 2024. Includes red cards which were later rescinded upon post-match review.
Under matches suspended, the first number indicates the required matches suspended for the red card shown, plus additional matches in parenthesis for add-on punishments.
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Matches Suspended |
| Oliver McBurnie | Sheffield United | 2 | 2 (1) |
| Yves Bissouma | Tottenham | 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 | West Ham | 1 | 1 |
| Calvin Bassey | Fulham | 1 | 1 |
| Matheus Nunes | Wolves | 1 | 1 |
| Tim Ream | Fulham | 1 | 1 |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Arsenal | 1 | 1 |
| Anass Zaroury | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Curtis Jones | Liverpool | 1 | 3 |
| Diogo Jota | Liverpool | 1 | 1 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | 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 | Nott. Forest | 1 | 1 |
| Mario Lemina | Wolves | 1 | 1 |
| Connor Roberts | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Jean-Ricner Bellegarde | Wolves | 1 | 3 |
| Lewis Cook | Bournemouth | 1 | 3 |
| Cristian Romero | Tottenham | 1 | 3 |
| Destiny Udogie | Tottenham | 1 | 1 |
| Mahmoud Dahoud | Brighton | 1 | 3 |
| Lewis Dunk | Brighton | 1 | 1 |
| Reece James | Chelsea | 1 | 1 |
| Conor Gallagher | Chelsea | 1 | 1 |
| Jordon Ayew | Crystal Palace | 1 | 1 |
| Ben Mee | Brentford | 1 | 3 |
| Boubacar Kamara | Aston Villa | 1 | 3 |
| Diogo Dalot | Man United | 1 | 1 |
| Wily Boly | Nott. Forest | 1 | 1 |
| Sander Berge | Burnley | 1 | 1 |
| Rhian Brewster | Sheffield United | 1 | 3 |
| Vladimir Coufal | West Ham | 1 | 1 |
| Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool | 1 | 1 |
| Raul Jimenez | Wolves | 1 | 2 |
| Philip Billing | Bournemouth | 1 | 3 |
| Kalvin Phillips | West 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 |
* Player saw a red card rescinded by league review after the match, leading to the removal of any potential suspension.
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo |
Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada, with discounts currently at more than 9% for annual plans and more than 20% for quarterly and monthly plans.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select 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).
