With 27 dismissals already after 12 games, the Premier League red card tally for 2023/24 is now just three away from last season’s overall total.
- SportsLens has collected Premier League red card data to see how this season’s growing tally fares against previous campaigns
- 27 red cards have already been shown this season, so we have worked out the average rate to see just how high the final total could be
How Many Red Cards Have There Been This Season?
Fabio Vieira and Mahmoud Dahoud were both dismissed in gameweek 12, meaning this season’s Premier League red card total stands at 27.
2022/23 witnessed just 30 red cards across the season – the fewest since 1994/95’s haul of just 28. It is safe to say last year’s intriguingly low red card count will be surpassed in the not-so-distant future.
Of course, the conversation surrounding VAR, and what constitutes a sending off is repeatedly called into question. Most recently, Cristian Romero’s tackle on Enzo Fernandez in Tottenham’s 4-1 defeat to Chelsea was thoroughly reviewed by officials at Stockley Park, and many have argued he won the ball initially.
We will discuss the impact of VAR on the amount of red cards further down the article, but it would appear last season’s shrunken total is somewhat of an anomaly.
How Many Red Cards Will Be Shown By The End of the 2023/24 Season?
So far we have bore witness to 12 fascinating gameweeks, and red cards have more often than not been a feature in each.
Taking the 27 sending offs, and dividing it by the 12 weeks played, you are left with an average of 2.25.
Therefore, if we assume there will be an average of 2.25 red cards per gameweek, the 2023/24 season is on course to have just over 85 red cards by the 38th and final round.
That would be the highest total across the 15 years we were able to find data for, although the likelihood of that average remaining steady is remote.
2023/24 Premier League Red Cards Compared to Previous Seasons
Using statistical database WhoScored, SportsLens have collated the total red cards for each season dating back 2009/10.
Note: Data available only as far back as 2009/10
- 2009/10 – 71
- 2010/11 – 65
- 2011/12 – 66
- 2012/13 – 52
- 2013/14 – 57
- 2014/15 – 71
- 2015/16 – 60
- 2016/17 – 41
- 2017/18 – 39
- 2018/19 – 47
- 2019/20 – 44
- 2020/21 – 48
- 2021/22 – 43
- 2022/23 – 30
- 2023/24 – 27 (so far)
The 2009/10 and 2014/15 campaigns stand as the joint-worst seasons for disciplinary in recent memory, with both yielding an eyebrow-raising 71 red cards.
Have There Been More Or Less Red Cards Since VAR Was Introduced?
VAR was introduced to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season, although the growing trend of safer tackles and harsher penalties for serious foul play had already started to take hold.
The steep drop-off between 2015/16’s red card haul of 60, to just 41 the following year kickstarted a pattern of fewer red cards.
Removing this current season’s incomplete data from the equation, the average amount of red cards shown between 2016/17 and 2022/23 stands at little over 41. The seven seasons listed above that pre-date that period yield an average of 63.
Protecting the welfare of players has become paramount to the topic of conversation surrounding red cards, and the introduction of VAR has only made it safer, as the data suggests.
For all the arguments accusing of VAR of nit-picking at contentious challenges and slowing down replays, the general trend has shifted towards fewer dismissals.
This is also the case across the rest of Europe’s top five leagues. Spreadex reported a 7.4% decline of red cards across the continent’s main divisions in their study of the impact of VAR.
According to the Premier League, three red cards were downgraded to yellow cards upon VAR review last season. A total of six players dismissed for incidents directly picked up VAR itself.
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