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Yellow card accumulation rule amended ahead of CPL Playoffs

Ahead of the 2022 Canadian Premier League semifinals, a change to Canada Soccer’s disciplinary rules:

The CPL worked with Canada Soccer to secure an amendment to the 2022 Canada Soccer Professional Club Disciplinary Annex, ensuring most CPL players facing a match suspension for yellow card accumulation during the regular season will be exempt from automatic suspension during this year’s playoffs, including the semifinal round.

Players who have accumulated a fourth yellow card either in the last game of the regular season or during the two-legged semifinal will now be subject to a fine in lieu of suspension.

The suspension exemption does not apply to players who accrue an eighth yellow card during the first leg of semifinal play. Those players will be required to serve a one-game suspension in the return semifinal leg.

As per previous seasons, all CPL players are exempt from serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation during the CPL Final.

The amendment to the Disciplinary Annex was put in place on Oct. 1, 2022, and communicated to all CPL clubs prior to the end of the regular season.

“It is a priority for our league to have as many players as possible available to compete in the playoffs,” said Canadian Premier League Commissioner Mark Noonan. “We are grateful to Canada Soccer for working with us to make this amendment possible, ensuring the CPL can put its best product on the field as our teams compete to become playoff champion.”

Currently, four CPL players with seven yellow cards accumulated remain at risk of suspension for the second semifinal leg:

Diego Espejo (Atlético Ottawa)
Tristan Borges (Forge FC)
Rezart Rama (Forge FC)
Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)

The CPL semifinals kick off on Saturday, Oct. 15, beginning with Cavalry FC hosting Forge FC (2 p.m. MT/4 p.m. ET), followed by Pacific FC hosting Atlético Ottawa (4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET).

The 2022 CPL Playoffs will be broadcast on dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer, available to all Canadian households through OneSoccer.ca, via Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV devices and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices. OneSoccer is also available as a linear channel through Telus Optik TV, as well as via the fuboTV Canada platform. The playoffs will also be available to fans abroad through Fox Sports in the United States, BT Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Flow Sports in the Caribbean, Hi-Sports TV in Mexico and globally through the OneSoccer website and app.