Yellow cards are a form of disciplinary action that a referee can award to any individual player or coach on a soccer team -- the yellow card is never given to a team as a whole. The yellow card serves as a warning to players or coaches that they must behave better. If a second yellow card is awarded to the same player or coach, there are strict consequences.
Fouls
A player can be awarded a yellow card for consistently fouling players on the opposing team. The referee will often give a verbal warning to the player in question first, stating that the next foul gets a yellow card. If a referee deems a foul to have somewhat malicious intent, for example if a player made no attempt to win the ball and instead appeared to have intended to hurt the opponent, he will give the player a yellow card.
Dissent
The other reasons that referees can give a player or coach a yellow card fall under the umbrella of "dissent." As the BBC website notes, some of these offenses that may result in a yellow card include unsporting behavior; bad language; throwing the ball away or similar actions; time wasting; entering the game without the permission of the referee; or leaving the field without the permission of the referee.
Two Yellows
If a person on a soccer team receives a second yellow card, a red card is automatically given as well. A red card means that the player has been expelled from the game. She must leave the playing and coaching area and is not allowed any contact with the team for the rest of the game. The offense that leads to the second yellow card does not need to be any more serious than the first offense.
Suspension
A yellow card stays on a player's record for a set number of games within any given tournament. If a player receives two yellow cards within this number of games, a red card will not be issued but a suspension for a game sometime in the future will occur. FIFA changed this law for the World Cup tournament in 2010, because it has resulted in so many big-name players missing out on playing in the final in past years.
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