To identify the cleanest and dirtiest teams in the Euros so far, we updated our previous study and analysed the number of cards each national team has received in the past six tournaments (dating back to 2000) up until the most recent tournament in 2020 (played in 2021). From this, we calculated the average number of cards per game each team received, to reveal the dirtiest and cleanest teams in the Euros.
Bear in mind that some countries in our final ranking have not qualified for the 2024 Euros but are still considered the dirtiest or cleanest teams based on historical data.
The Dirtiest Teams of the Euros So Far
It’s official: Bulgaria is the dirtiest national team in the Euros racking up 5.3 cards per game, not moving position from our previous study. The country has a combined total of 16 cards (15 yellows and 1 red) out of just 3 matches they’ve played in the tournament so far.
Albania ranks in second place, with an average of 3.7 cards per game. Albania racked up a combined total of 11 cards (10 yellows and 1 red) out of just 3 matches they’ve played in the tournament so far. Albania missed out on the 2020 Euros but will be returning this year.
Greece, Romania and North Macedonia complete the top five dirtiest teams, however, Greece and North Macedonia did not qualify for this year’s Euros group stages.
Italy had the most total combined cards in the study, racking up 75 cards (74 yellows and 1 red), with 2.42 cards per game, a slight decrease from 2.6 in our previous study.
England is still one of the cleanest teams in the Euros.
While England may rarely win championships, they do secure the accolade of being one of the cleanest national teams. England ranks third among the cleanest teams in the Euros, receiving just 1.1 cards per game. The Three Lions also racked up just 24 total cards (all yellows) out of the 22 matches played since 2000.
Scotland and Latvia take the crown for being the cleanest teams in the Euros, with both teams having just 1 card per game! Both teams also only received 3 total cards, however, each team has only played 3 matches within the tournament.
Finland and Denmark complete our top five dirtiest teams, with just 1.3 cards per game. Denmark just missed the top spot by 1 yellow card, racking up 5 yellow cards out of the 6 matches they played.
The Most Card Happy Refs of the Euros
While team discipline is one thing, referees are the ultimate decision-makers, having the power to let the game flow or dish out yellow cards like parking tickets.
Since UEFA confirmed the referees who will be participating in the tournament this year, we analysed each referee’s number of games officiated in previous Euros tournaments.
We also looked at the sum of yellow and red cards, the total cards brandished and calculated the number of cards they’ve given out per game, to reveal the most card-happy referees ahead of the Euros 2024.
Bear in mind some of the referees who have been confirmed for this year’s tournament have yet to participate in the Euros.
The data reveals that Felix Zwayer is the most card-happy referee, handing out an average of five cards per game.
The German official has brandished the most cards in recent history, with 15 yellow cards.
While Mr Zwayer has the most cards per game overall, Clement Turpin and Daniele Orsato scored the highest for the total cards brandished, with both handing out 18 cards in total over the last few tournaments.
Overall, the 2024 referees are set to hand out an average of 4 cards per game this year.
Jake Holyoak, Digital PR Manager at BonusFinder.co.uk, commented on the research:
“As we approach EURO 2024, it will be intriguing to see how these trends evolve and whether new teams will emerge in the rankings. Bulgaria’s continued position as the dirtiest team in our study highlights the consistency of their defensive approach, meanwhile seeing England amongst the cleanest teams highlights their clean and controlled style of play.”
“The influence of referees like Felix Zwayer, who remains notably card-happy, adds an interesting dimension to the game. These findings offer a compelling lens through which to watch this year’s tournament.”
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Methodology
To determine the dirtiest teams ahead of UEFA’s Euros 2024, we
? Used our previous study Euro 2020: Who Are the Dirtiest Teams Based on Yellow and Red Cards as the main source.
? Sourced the most recent tournament data from UEFA’s website and sense-checked this with our previous study, adding the 2020 updated card count and the new total matches. This provided a new number of red cards, yellow cards and total cards.
? Divided the new number of combined cards by the updated matches played to calculate cards per game.
? Finally, the highest number of cards per game was sorted from the lowest to highest, revealing the dirtiest teams ahead of UEFA’s Euro 2024.
To determine the most card-happy referees ahead of UEFA’s Euro 2024, we:
? Sourced the confirmed 2024 referees from UEFA.
? Sourced data on games officiated, yellow cards, and red cards from previous Euros tournaments via UEFA (if available), and cross-referenced this with Wikipedia and relevant news articles.
? Calculated the average number of cards issued per game by dividing the total cards by the total matches officiated.
? Ranked referees based on cards per game from largest to smallest to reveal the top “card-happy” referees ahead of UEFA’s Euro 2024.
? The average cards referees are set to hand out this year, was calculated by taking an average of the top 10 cards per game.
