What do yellow and red cards mean, and what is a delay sanction?

Question

Accepted Answer

Minor misconduct (Rule 21.1) isn't sanctioned. The 1st referee gives a verbal warning through the game captain first, then a yellow card. A yellow card is a formal warning: it is recorded on the score sheet but has no immediate consequence. Misconduct sanctions (Rule 21.3): Offence First time Second time Third time Rude conduct (against good manners) Penalty: red card, point and service to the opponent Expulsion Disqualification Offensive conduct (insulting words or gestures, contempt) Expulsion: red and yellow cards held together Disqualification n/a Aggression (physical attack, or threatened aggression) Disqualification: red and yellow cards shown separately n/a n/a Expelled: you leave the court for the rest of the set and wait in the team's dressing room until the set ends. Disqualified: you go to the dressing room for the rest of the match. If you are on court, you must be substituted legally (or exceptionally) at once. If that isn't possible, the team is declared incomplete. Sanctions are individual, last the whole match and get heavier with each repeat. Misconduct before or between sets is sanctioned in the next set. Delays (Rule 16), such as slow substitutions, prolonging an interruption, an illegal substitution request or a repeated improper request, are team sanctions: first delay in the match: delay warning (no point lost); second and later delays by anyone on the team: delay penalty, a point and service to the opponent.

Offence	First time	Second time	Third time
Rude conduct (against good manners)	Penalty: red card, point and service to the opponent	Expulsion	Disqualification
Offensive conduct (insulting words or gestures, contempt)	Expulsion: red and yellow cards held together	Disqualification	n/a
Aggression (physical attack, or threatened aggression)	Disqualification: red and yellow cards shown separately	n/a	n/a