UEFA changes yellow card rule

UEFA has announced a new disciplinary rule on yellow cards picked up by players in the Champions League and Europa League matches which will take effect from the 2014/15 season.

The rule instructs that every yellow card picked up by a player starting from the group stage will expire at the end of quarter-final. The will prevent players from being suspended for the semi-final matches of both European competitions.

The governing body of European football, UEFA, stated in a statement that, “Following a recommendation by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee – in order to implement in UEFA club competitions a rule which is already in force in the UEFA European Football Championship – the Emergency Panel decided that, as of this season, all yellow cards from the beginning of the group stage will expire on completion of the quarter-finals.”
“Bookings will therefore not be carried forward to the semi-finals.”

Players who missed finals after picking a booking in last-four :
Roy Keane and Paul Scholes of Manchester United (1999)
Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires, Raul Meireles of Chelsea and David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luis Gustavo of Bayern  Munich (2012)
Xabi Alonso of Real Madrid (2014)