Yellow Cards and Red Cards
in Table Tennis

Yellow and red cards were first introduced into the game of table tennis in 1991.

But what do they mean?

And what do the rules say about them?

Yellow and red cards are shown by umpires and referees to players and coaches who break the rules or misbehave during the course of a match or tournament.

But because misbehaviour can take many forms, it's impractical to lay down precise rules.

Therefore, setting and applying acceptable standards of behaviour by players and coaches is more a matter of judgment and common sense.

Fortunately, table tennis doesn't have a history of poor behaviour. However, a small minority of players and coaches may cause problems and it can potentially be very damaging and difficult to control.

Rule 3.05 covers the area of discipline in table tennis, and it applies to both players and coaches.

Coaches giving advice

The first part of this table tennis rule deals with coaches giving advice to players.

Advice is only allowed to be given by a coach during the intervals between games or during other authorised suspensions of play.

So if advice is given at any other time, the umpire will hold up a yellow card and warn the coach that any further offence will result in his dismissal from the playing area.

If the coach again gives advice illegally during the same match, after a yellow card has been shown, the umpire will hold up a red card and send the coach away from the playing area.

If this happens during a team match, and ANY authorised person gives advice to the player after a yellow card has been shown, the umpire will hold up a red card and send him away from the playing area, whether or not he was the person previously warned.

In an individual event the coach is not allowed to return until the individual match has ended.

In a team match, the dismissed adviser is not allowed to return, except where he is required to play, and cannot be replaced by another adviser until the team match has ended.

Misbehaviour

The second part of this table tennis rule deals with misbehaviour.

Players and coaches can also be shown yellow cards for misbehaviour.

The rules state that players and coaches must refrain from behaviour which may unfairly affect an opponent, offend spectators or bring the sport into disrepute.

Examples of this are - abusive language, deliberately breaking the ball or hitting it out of the playing area, kicking the table or surrounds and disrespect of match officials.

Yellow cards are designed for less serious offences but if a player or coach commits a serious offence, the umpire must suspend play and report it immediately to the referee.

However, for less serious offences the umpire may, on the first occasion, hold up a yellow card and warn the offender that any further offence is liable to incur penalties.

If the player then commits a second offence in the same individual match or team match, the umpire will award 1 point to the offender's opponent. And for a third offence he will award 2 points, each time holding up a yellow and a red card together.

If a player continues to misbehave after three offences in the same individual match or team match, the umpire will suspend play and report it immediately to the referee.

If the coach continues to misbehave after receiving a yellow card, the umpire will hold up a red card and send the coach away from the playing area.

Doubles

In doubles, a warning or penalty incurred by either player of a doubles pair will apply to the pair, but not to the non-offending player in a subsequent individual match of the same team match.

Yellow cards remain in force for the duration of an individual match or, in a team event, the remainder of the team match.

After a yellow card has been shown to a player, a yellow marker is placed near the scoreboard, next to the score of the player who has been warned.

If a second yellow card is then shown to the same player, both a yellow and red marker are placed near the scoreboard.

These markers will remain near the scoreboard for the duration of that players' individual match, and in a team match, are carried over to that players' subsequent individual matches.

Once a yellow card has been shown, subsequent offences must automatically be penalised by the award of points to the opponent. An umpire cannot issue further warnings without penalty points.

However, penalty points may sometimes be awarded after a game has ended, or 2 penalty points might be awarded against a player when his opponent needs only 1 point to win the game.

If the match has not ended, any "unused" points are transferred to the next game of that individual match, so that it starts at the score of 0-1 or 0-2 in favour of the offender's opponent, but if the match has ended they should be ignored.

In a team match, a doubles pair carry forward any warnings or penalties incurred in their previous singles matches AND, as a doubles pair, are regarded as having incurred the higher of any warnings or penalties incurred by either of the players in those singles matches.

So, if one player has been warned in a previous match (1 yellow card), and the other player had incurred 1 penalty point (2 yellow cards), a first offence by either of them in the doubles match would incur 2 penalty points (the penalty for 3 yellow cards).

A warning or penalty during a doubles match applies to the pair during that match, but only the offending player will carry it over to a subsequent individual match.

The following example illustrates this point...

In a team match with 4 singles and 1 doubles matches, players A & B are paired to play the doubles match.

In their first singles matches in this team match, A was warned (1 yellow card) and B incurred a penalty point (2 yellow cards).

In the 2nd game of the doubles match, A intentionally breaks the ball by stepping on it.

The umpire awards 2 penalty points against A/B (the penalty for 3 yellow cards).

In their next singles matches, each player carries forward 1 penalty point.

In a team match the umpire must record warnings and penalties on the score sheet so that they can be transferred to later matches, but umpires should also do the same for individual events.

This will allow the referee to take account of persistent bad behaviour when deciding, for example, whether to disqualify a player.

The referee has the power to disqualify a player from a match, an event or a whole competition, for seriously unfair or offensive behaviour, whether it was reported to him by the umpire or not. He does this by holding up a red card.

If a player is disqualified from 2 matches of a team or individual event he will automatically be disqualified from that team event or individual competition.

If a player is disqualified from a match, event or competition for any reason, he will automatically forfeit any associated title, medal, prize money or ranking points.

Additionally, if a player accumulates four failures on any aspect of official testing over 48 months, the player will be suspended for 12 months from participating in ITTF events.

The referee may, however, use discretion in deciding whether to disqualify a player from a match, an event or a whole competition, according to the gravity of the offence.

But there are certain offences for which disqualification is mandatory and others for which it is the usual procedure.

A player who fails a doping test must be disqualified as should, normally, one who changes a racket during a match without permission.

A player whose racket is found to exude a prohibited solvent may be warned on the first occasion and forbidden to use that racket until it has been shown by a subsequent test to be legal, but unless there are extenuating circumstances a second such offence should lead to disqualification.

The disciplinary powers of the referee and the competition management committee do not normally extend beyond the competition for which they are appointed.

Any subsequent penalties can be decided only by the offender's National Association.

Where there has been a serious breach of the disciplinary regulations for which a player or coach has been disqualified, the referee must prepare a report for the host Association to send to the offender's National Association.

This report should give a concise statement of the relevant facts and of the actions taken, but should avoid opinions and recommendations.