I'm a bit surprised no one already posted this video but it's hilarious. Appears that the referee in this past weekend's Ghana-Uganda match didn't have his YC with him and tried to fake it. Only other thing I can figure is he did but he was talking and gesturing to the player to explain that, if the player did that again, the player would be carded. Neither is great: forgetting a basic tool when you're in charge of an international match or potentially creating confusion in the way you manage the players. http://www.espnfc.us/world-cup-qualifying-caf/63/video/2967887/watch-referees-phantom-yellow-card
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=276412/match=300367139/index.html#nosticky #14 of Uganda was booked in the 55'. So whatever this was in the 22', it didn't get recorded as a booking. There was a yellow card at 36', so if he had forgotten his yellow, he had it by then.
So that does to the 2nd theory: that he was explaining to the player that he would book him for something similar. If so, not a great gesture to use.
The facts available lead to the 2nd theory. But I'd like to see video of his actual caution, to see what the reaction was by Ghanian players there. Because the video evidence leads firmly to the first theory--it absolutely looks like he was booking him. Remember that in this position in the video, he's about as far away as he can be from any other official (AR2 at midfield, 4th at midfield opposite him, AR1 probably on his corner flag). Taking the time to go get a backup yellow card from one of them in this situation would both look embarrassing and waste at least 30 seconds. That doesn't mean he didn't swing by to one of them in the next 14 minutes, before he gave his actual first yellow card. In short, while this is funny, it could actually be a big deal. We're talking about a World Cup qualifier. FIFA will have questions, at minimum. Both the result of the match and the status of the player for the next matchday could be in question, depending upon what the full set of facts are and what the referee says.
Obviously, I'm just speculating, but I interpret this as a warning that he would show the player a card the next time that happened and that he wanted the other players to see that he had warned the player in that fashion.
Do you actually interpret it that way, or are you just hopeful that's what happened? Because I'm with you on being hopeful. But if that's your actual interpretation of what happened, I'd ask you to look again. He has his book out for a full 7 seconds (the red is visible at one point), before he finally accepts the fact the yellow isn't there (note we can see a blank black side when the book is flipped to the non-red side). He then pulls the player back toward him, has a wry/smile laugh with him, pantomimes the caution, and pulls out his pen to start writing as the video concludes. Why's he writing if it's just a warning? Why did he take out the book if it's just a warning? Why is his body language and facial expression so relaxed and indicative of a moment of levity, if this is supposed to be a stern warning early on in the match? Every single context clue here shows that a referee made a locker room era, realized it on the spot, didn't panic, and creatively corrected it the best he could in the moment. Think about it--the player isn't angry, there are no protests, there seems to even be a shared laugh. This clip? Best he could do with a bad situation. The problem for him is that the match report shows the same player being booked without a send off at 55'. And, as we know, unless the context clues in this video are all wrong, that's a big problem.
But, if as you said earlier, he did use a yellow card in the 36th minute, where did it come from if he didn't have one earlier in the game? I have the cards in a wallet thing, too, but I never use those cards, preferring to use the write-on cards in my other pockets. So if the wallet yellow card were missing, it doesn't mean that I don't have one.
I addressed that in the second paragraph of my second post. We've seen incidents--I think one in MLS a few years ago and one very recently in England with Clattenburg--where referees have gone to their teammates to borrow a card. But the referee in this case was about as far as he possibly could be from a teammate, so he might have chosen to improvise until the next viable opportunity to run by his fourth official. Speculation on my part, sure. But it's something I've actually seen happen. I've never seen a FIFA referee give a verbal warning by showing a phantom yellow card and writing it down. I still don't think I have. Ok. What does that have to do with this situation?
I think Peter Walton also showed a phantom yellow card in an EPL match. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nvisible-yellow-card-Premier-League-game.html It seems that it still counted as a caution though. PH
What I tried to get across was that you not seeing the yellow card in the wallet he was holding doesn't mean that he didn't have a yellow card in another place, like his pocket.
I know that a referee could have two cards. I always keep two of each (neither in a wallet, but that's irrelevant here). I still don't see what it has to do with this situation and trying to determine if he really meant to give a verbal warning or if he actually cautioned this player without a card. My point about the yellow clearly missing from his wallet is that it is evidence that he didn't have a yellow at all. He instinctively went to his book--either to write the caution (and then show his other yellow) or to show a caution from his book (which seems more likely, because he didn't take his pen out immediately). If he had a second, non-wallet card (whether as a "backup" card or his primary card), we would have seen it. It all comes down to this for me: if he meant to give a verbal warning, why did he take out the wallet and his pen? Have you (or has anyone else) ever seen that at a high-level?
This is just a possibility, but he may have been going to YC #14, but realized he didn't have his card. And said something to the effect, "I'd give you a Yellow if I had it." or "Your lucky I don't have my YC or I'd give one to you." Which would elicit the smiles. Realizing he didn't have a YC, he probably got one from an AR or 4th as soon as he could. Just a guess.