The Player Who Earned 3 Yellow Cards Before Finally Being Sent Off

When fans think of the most chaotic moments in World Cup history, a few standard incidents come to mind: dramatic penalty shootouts, controversial handballs, and shocking red cards. But at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, English referee Graham Poll managed to create a category all his own. In a fiercely contested Group F finale between Croatia and Australia in Stuttgart, Poll managed to do the mathematically impossible: he showed Croatian defender Josip Šimunić three separate yellow cards before finally sending him off the pitch. The match itself was already boiling over with tension, as both teams needed a result to advance to the knockout stages. As the game grew more physical, the cards started flying. Poll, widely considered one of the best referees of his generation, issued Šimunić his first yellow card in the 61st minute for a heavy foul on Australia's Harry Kewell. Fast forward to the 90th minute, with the score tied at 2-2 and the game descending into total chaos. Šimunić committed another rough challenge, this time on Australian substitute Joshua Kennedy. Poll blew his whistle, reached into his pocket, and correctly showed the Croatian defender a second yellow card. However, to the absolute bewilderment of the commentators and fans, the mandatory red card never followed. "OUR HOST IS FIFA, NOT TRUMP”: IRAN’S WORLD CUP STANDOFF WITH THE US EXPLAINED The game simply continued with Šimunić still on the field. It wasn't until the 93rd minute, moments after Poll had blown the final whistle to end the match, that justice was bizarrely served. An angry Šimunić aggressively approached the referee to dispute a call and shoved him. Unfazed, Poll reached into his pocket and issued the defender his *third* yellow card of the evening, finally following it up with the red card to officially expel him from a match that had already ended. How could one of the most experienced referees in the world make such a monumental error? The explanation was as bizarre as the incident itself. When Poll issued the second yellow card in the 90th minute, his standard system of recording bookings failed him. Šimunić was actually born in Australia and spoke with a heavy, distinctive Australian accent. During the heat of the moment, Poll wrote down the correct jersey number—number 3—but mistakenly recorded it in the wrong column of his notebook. Because of the accent, Poll's brain subconsciously registered the foul for the Australian team, meaning he had accidentally booked Australia’s Craig Moore, who also wore the number 3 shirt. FIFA CHANGES WORLD CUP YELLOW CARD RULES TO SAVE PLAYERS FROM HEARTBREAK The aftermath of the 2-2 draw, which sent Australia through to the next round, was devastating for the English official. Acknowledging his massive blunder, Poll took full responsibility, stating, "I was the referee, it was my error and the buck stops with me." As a result of the infamous three-card trick, Poll was sent home from the tournament by FIFA and subsequently retired from refereeing international matches. While he went on to have a long and distinguished career, his name will forever be tied to the surreal night in Stuttgart where a player somehow survived two yellow cards.