HISTORY OF RED AND YELLOW CARD IN FOOTBALL

The system of cautioning and dismissal has existed for many decades, but the idea of language-neutral coloured cards originated with British referee Ken Aston, who got the idea while sitting in his car at a traffic light. The first major use of the cards was in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but they were not made mandatory at all levels until 1982.

Sumber daripada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misconduct_(football)