Brazil's Kaka - 3 Yellow Cards, 3 Matches - 2010 FIFA World Cup
Kaka was first yellow carded in his second game of the 2010 World Cup against Ivory Coast, when he kicked Keita in an attempt to gain the ball back for his side to effect a free-kick. Surprisingly, he got a second yellow card in the same match, and was sent off–as Keita appeared to have been fouled on another occasion by the Real Madrid superstar. Looking at the replay, there was minimal contact between the two players, but the referee–for some reason–punished Kaka for what should have been ignored as a legal challenge.
Kaka then missed Brazil’s third game of the 2010 World Cup against Portugal in Group G, but fortunately for him, his country avoided a defeat by drawing 0-0; despite a late handball from skipper Lucio, which went unpunished. Kaka made his return in the last 16 against Chile, and unexpectedly, he entered in the book once again.
In truth, his second-half tackle which saw him receive a yellow card was quite harsh, but just as he often misses the support from referees, he was penalized. This means that Kaka could miss the semifinals, in view of the fact that he is just a single yellow card away from a match-ban before the tournament’s fourth round.
He is eventually one of the most violent players on the field in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, according to statistics which state that he has collected 3 yellow cards in 3 games. This is totally equal to saying that Kaka gets booked once per match in South Africa. Isn’t this true fact shocking?
Well, the only thing the No.10 player can do now, is to behave and lessen his aggressiveness on the pitch, since the competition is getting hotter and more difficult. Considering the dangerous situation of the midfielder, Coach Dunga could decide to sideline him, or turn him into a substitute against Netherlands.
"It is a problem; and of course, I don't want Kaka to be out suspended,” said the coach. “It looks as though the technical players are punished and those who commit fouls aren't always; this started happening in the group phase and we are going to talk about this with Kaka. It is a concern for him but we don't want to get bogged down with this thing of yellow card.”
