Carabao Cup yellow cards: Do suspensions carry over into the Premier League? Rules explained

250 yellow cards have been awarded in the Carabao Cup
250 yellow cards have been awarded in the Carabao Cup / GLYN KIRK/GettyImages
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England's second cup competition may not be the biggest prize on offer but the Carabao Cup offers teams a route into Europe.

The 2022/23 edition is drawing to a close, so player availability is of the utmost importance - both in the Carabao Cup's final rounds and the looming inevitability of Premier League football.

Here's everything you need to know about suspensions in the Carabao Cup.


Do yellow card suspensions carry over into the Premier League?

No. Amid the ever-changing maelstrom of rules and regulations, the powers that be at England's Football Association tweaked the laws regarding yellow card suspensions four years ago.

As outlined in the FA's essential handbook for players: "Accumulated yellow cards in cup competitions are treated separately and can result in an automatic ban from the cup competition in which the yellow cards were received."

Therefore, a yellow-card-induced suspension in the Carabao Cup does not carry over to the Premier League - or any other domestic competition. Of course, the reverse is also true. If one of the Carabao Cup semi-finalists racks up a ban-worthy tally of ten Premier League yellow cards, they would still be able to play in the cup.


What about red cards?

Unlike their more lenient and light-hearted cousins, red cards transcend England's domestic competitions. If a player were to receive a ban for a red card shown in a Carabao Cup clash, they would miss their team's next game, whatever domestic competition that may be - including thePremier League.

Southampton's Duje Caleta-Car bore the brunt of this punishment in the 2022/23 Carabao Cup semi-finals. With four minutes of their home leg to play, Caleta-Car was shown a red card, after his second yellow. As Newcastle's Jacob Murphy helpfully waved him off the pitch, Caleta-Car was trudging into a one-game ban.

The 26-year-old served that suspension during Southampton's following fixture, an FA Cup tie with Blackpool - which the Saints won despite the absence of their centre-back.

In Bruno Guimaraes' case, he was given a straight red card in the second leg of said tie - that transmits to the Brazilian being banned for Newcastle's next three domestic games, and not specifically the Carabao Cup final specifically.