The record for the highest number of cards issued by a referee in a FIFA international tournament occurred at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. In the round of 16 match between Netherlands vs Portugal, also known as the Battle of Nuremberg, Russian referee Valentin Ivanov issued 16 yellow cards and four red cards.
The name Battle of Nuremberg was taken because the match was held in that city. To be precise, it is at the Max-Morlock Stadium which is the home ground of FC Nuernberg.
The Dutch team received three single yellow cards for Mark van Bommel, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart who came on as substitutes. Then, red cards for De Oranje were sent to Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Khalid Boulahrouz, each in the form of a second yellow card.
Van Bronckhorst was sent off by the referee after violating Tiago Mendes, while Boulahrouz had to take leave for elbowing Luis Figo in the face. Previously, he was sent a yellow card for breaking Cristiano Ronaldo until he was injured in the 7th minute.
On the Portuguese side, Costinha was the first player to be sent off in this match for handball on purpose to cut off an opponent’s pass. The second red card is for Deco. The only yellow cards for Selecao das Quinas were for Nuno Valente, Luis Figo, Maniche, goalkeeper Ricardo and Armando Petit.
In total, the Netherlands received seven yellow cards and two red cards, while Portugal was bombarded with nine yellow cards and two red cards. The Battle of Nuremberg match score was 1-0 for Portugal’s victory, through Maniche’s goal in the 23rd minute.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad qualified for the quarter-finals to face England (3-1 win on penalties), then lost in the semifinals to France (0-1) who went on to win.
“It was a very unusual match, different from usual,” recalled Portugal coach Luiz Filipe Scolari years later, quoted on the FIFA website. The Brazilian coach likened the Battle of Nuremberg to a match in South America.
“Five minutes into the game, Khalid Boulahrouz committed an absurd foul on Cristiano Ronaldo, who had to leave the pitch, and the referee gave Boulahrouz a yellow card,” he continued. “That’s the climate of South American football, the Copa Libertadores game. It was a completely unfair match. In the end, we won 1-0 thanks to Maniche’s goal and advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.”
At the end of the match, Deco and Van Bronckhorst, who played as a team in Barcelona, were seen sitting next to each other discussing the situation of the match. Despite going through the round of 16 with a rain of yellow cards, Portugal in the quarter-finals and semifinals in total only received three yellow cards, two each against England and one against France.
