[Ads-l] "red card" and "yellow card" n. (football/soccer) (Oct 28, 1968)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has an entry for the noun "yellow
card" in the football/soccer domain with a 1969 citation.

[Begin OED excerpt]
yellow card noun
3. Sport (originally Football (Soccer)). A yellow card shown by the
referee to a player, coach, or team official to indicate that he or
she has received a caution or temporary suspension …
Yellow cards were first introduced for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

1969 A yellow card will indicate a caution and a red card, 'sent off'.
Guardian 13 June 18/6
[End OED excerpt]

The OED also has an entry for the noun "red card" with the same
citation. Here is a 1968 citation which uses both "yellow card" and
"red card" with the desired sense.

Date: October 28, 1968
Newspaper: Daily Mirror
Newspaper Location: London, England
Article: These Violent Mexican Fans Threaten World Cup
Subsection: Yellow
Quote Page 31, Column 2
Database: British Newspaper Archive

[Begin excerpt]
He had been booked earlier under a new system invented by Rous after
the confusion of the last World Cup when players did not learn until
long after the matches that they had been officially cautioned.

Now, when a referee shows a player a yellow card, it means a final
warning. A red card means he is off.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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