Referees and cards this season
As of 19 October 2026, 1997 matches from 24 leagues.
Across 24 leagues with full data there are on average 3.8 yellow cards per match. The most in Segunda División (5.2), the fewest in Eredivisie (2.8). In the big five leagues Stuart Attwell (Premier League) shows the most cards: 6.50 per match on average, 63% more than the average of the league they referee in.
Yellow cards per match in every league
Average yellow cards per match (both teams together) and the share of matches with more than 4.5 cards. European cups are left out because their referees come from many countries.
| # | League | Per match | Over 4.5 | Home / away | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Segunda División Spain | 5.17 | 63% | 2.3 | 2.9 | 110 |
| 2 |  Super League 1 Greece | 4.85 | 52% | 2.4 | 2.5 | 48 |
| 3 |  Super League Switzerland | 4.58 | 50% | 2.0 | 2.6 | 60 |
| 4 | La Liga Spain | 4.45 | 52% | 2.1 | 2.3 | 88 |
| 5 |  Primeira Liga Portugal | 4.35 | 47% | 2.0 | 2.4 | 72 |
| 6 |  2. Bundesliga Germany | 4.28 | 46% | 2.1 | 2.2 | 72 |
| 7 |  Serie B Italy | 4.00 | 39% | 2.1 | 1.9 | 70 |
| 8 |  Premier League England | 3.99 | 41% | 1.8 | 2.2 | 70 |
| 9 |  Süper Lig Turkey | 3.93 | 38% | 1.9 | 2.0 | 72 |
| 10 | Championship England | 3.85 | 34% | 1.8 | 2.0 | 131 |
| 11 |  Ligue 2 France | 3.83 | 35% | 1.7 | 2.1 | 81 |
| 12 |  Ekstraklasa Poland | 3.71 | 32% | 1.7 | 2.0 | 97 |
| 13 |  Superliga Denmark | 3.68 | 29% | 1.7 | 2.0 | 66 |
| 14 |  HNL Croatia | 3.67 | 29% | 1.7 | 2.0 | 49 |
| 15 |  Chance Liga Czech Republic | 3.57 | 26% | 1.7 | 1.9 | 87 |
| 16 |  Premiership Scotland | 3.57 | 28% | 1.8 | 1.8 | 54 |
| 17 |  Bundesliga Austria | 3.56 | 30% | 1.6 | 1.9 | 54 |
| 18 | Bundesliga Germany | 3.46 | 20% | 1.7 | 1.7 | 54 |
| 19 |  Eliteserien Norway | 3.40 | 29% | 1.5 | 1.9 | 184 |
| 20 | Ligue 1 France | 3.35 | 27% | 1.7 | 1.6 | 63 |
| 21 | Serie A Italy | 3.33 | 29% | 1.7 | 1.6 | 70 |
| 22 |  Allsvenskan Sweden | 3.30 | 23% | 1.4 | 1.9 | 192 |
| 23 |  Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 3.28 | 28% | 1.4 | 1.8 | 72 |
| 24 |  Eredivisie Netherlands | 2.80 | 14% | 1.2 | 1.6 | 81 |
Visitors get more cards. In 20 of 24 leagues the away teams get more yellow cards on average than the home teams.
Referees with the most cards (big five leagues)
| Referee | League | Per match | Vs league | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Attwell | Premier League | 6.50 | +63% | 4 |
| Alejandro Hernandez | La Liga | 6.00 | +35% | 4 |
| Manuel Jesus Orellana Cid | La Liga | 5.80 | +30% | 5 |
| Isidro Diaz de Mera Escuderos | La Liga | 5.40 | +21% | 5 |
| Jon Ander Gonzalez Esteban | La Liga | 5.40 | +21% | 5 |
| Jesus Gil Manzano | La Liga | 5.25 | +18% | 4 |
| Chris Kavanagh | Premier League | 5.20 | +30% | 5 |
| Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea | La Liga | 5.20 | +17% | 5 |
| Craig Pawson | Premier League | 5.00 | +25% | 4 |
| Javier Alberola Rojas | La Liga | 4.80 | +8% | 5 |
Referees with the fewest cards
| Referee | League | Per match | Vs league | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Bramall | Premier League | 2.25 | −44% | 4 |
| Florian Badstubner | Bundesliga | 2.50 | −28% | 4 |
| Michael Oliver | Premier League | 2.67 | −33% | 6 |
| Robert Jones | Premier League | 3.00 | −25% | 4 |
| Guillaume Paradis | Ligue 1 | 3.00 | −10% | 4 |
Referees with at least 4 matches this season. “Vs league” compares their average with the average of the league they referee in.
How we count
We count the yellow cards of both teams in the league matches played this season. A league is included when it has at least 30 matches with card data. A second yellow and a red card are not added to the yellows here. Referee averages from a few matches swing a lot: this describes the season, it is not a forecast.
The cards and referees of every league are on its page, e.g. Premier League, and the “Over X cards” tables are in the tables.
When quoting, please credit PropsyTypera (propsytypera.pl) with a link to this page.