Critical calculations for players on the yellow card threshold at Fenerbahçe

A critical threshold is emerging for seven players ahead of the Çaykur Rizespor match, which will determine Fenerbahçe's fate in the league fixture. Semedo, Nene, Brown, Musaba, Mert, Kerem, and Guendouzi are on the verge of a yellow card suspension. If any of these players receive another yellow card against Rize, they will be suspended for the away match against Galatasaray on April 26.

This risk increases the pressure on the players during the Çaykur Rize match, especially considering the derby's decisive impact on the championship race. If the players on the suspension threshold receive a card, they will be forced to watch the derby from the stands.

IF THEY RECEIVE A RED CARD FROM A SECOND YELLOW, THEY WILL SERVE THE SUSPENSION IN THE CUP MATCH

However, an interesting legal detail stands out under current regulations. According to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) disciplinary instructions, if a player receives a red card from a second yellow in the Rize match, the yellow card suspension is served in the Turkish Cup match to be played against Konya on April 21. In this way, even if the player becomes suspended, their yellow card is wiped, allowing them to take their place on the field for the Galatasaray match.

While other clubs have utilized this loophole in football before, the Fenerbahçe community is pointing to similar situations involving Osimhen and Abdülkerim this season as examples. Although UEFA and the TFF have different practices regarding additional penalties for such deliberate card-receiving attempts in the past, the additional penalty mechanism cannot be activated unless there is concrete evidence (such as a referee report, footage, or a confession).

INSTRUCTIONS ARE EFFECTIVE IN PREPARING FOR THE DERBY

An important clause is included in the details of the instructions regarding match suspensions. With the provision, "A match suspension is executed by taking into account the relevant official match category. For a professional club player, Turkish Cup, Super Cup, and professional league matches are considered the same category in the execution calculation," clubs have flexibility in the legislation regarding the execution of card suspensions.

For players who want to intentionally receive a card and serve their suspension in a cup match, there is a regulation that stipulates a "two-match suspension for players who deliberately receive a card while thinking about the suspension in the subsequent match." However, for this to be applied, it must be clearly determined that the player in question received this card intentionally.

News Source: 12punto