£40m Newcastle United star facing two-game Premier League ban as Southampton incident goes unpunished

The Brazilian recently picked up his eighth booking of the campaign in the 4-1 defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth, meaning he is just two cautions away from being handed a two-match ban.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes Joelinton was fortunate to avoid a card for a late tackle on Southampton striker Paul Onuachu last weekend. However, what Gallagher failed to mention was the midfielder was fouled before going into the tackle.

Joelinton served a one-match suspension when the Magpies beat Ipswich Town 4-0 in December as a result of picking up five yellow cards inside the opening 19 Premier League matches.

Following Newcastle’s 2-0 victory at Manchester United on December 30, the disciplinary threshold increased to 10 yellow cards in 32 matches. That means Joelinton must go the next nine league matches without picking up a further two yellow cards or else he’ll get a two-game ban.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe told NewcastleWorld last year that he accepts Joelinton’s disciplinary record is part and parcel of him being a midfield “destroyer”.

“I think you have to accept it to a degree,” said Howe. “You can’t have a destroyer, ball-winner, brilliant at second balls, duels, tackler - that force that he is in the middle of the pitch and not accept sometimes he is going to mis-time tackles and sometimes he is going to pick up yellow card. You can’t have it both ways.

“Of course we don’t want to lose him to suspension, we will try and help him a bit but as I say, you can’t have it both ways.”

The 28-year-old served a two-match ban during the 2022-23 season after picking up 10 bookings.

While Joelinton is close to a ban, none of his teammates are at risk just yet. Dan Burn has been booked six times and Fabian Schar has five. Both defenders served a one-match ban for reaching five yellow cards earlier in the season.

After 32 games, the threshold increases - any player who reaches 15 bookings is handed a three-match ban. No player has ever been caution that many times in a single Premier League season.