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FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Chris Nee

Do players miss the final if they get booked in the semi-final?

Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev shows a yellow card to France's forward #11 Michael Olise during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Paraguay and France at the Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP).

For every football supporter of a certain age, the thought of a player receiving a yellow card in the semi-final of a World Cup and knowing he’ll miss the final conjures up the same image.

World Cup 1990 was a lifetime ago but the image of inconsolable England midfielder Paul Gascoigne after he was booked against West Germany became every bit as iconic as the player himself.

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