Referee Graham Poll famously issued three yellow cards to the same player during a 2006 World Cup match.

The incident occurred on June 22, 2006, during a crucial Group F match between Croatia and Australia at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart. Referee Graham Poll, who was considered one of England's top officials, issued a second yellow card to Croatian defender Josip Šimunić in the 90th minute. Under FIFA rules, a second yellow card must result in an immediate red card and dismissal from the field.Poll failed to produce the red card because he had mistakenly recorded the second caution under the name of Australia's number 3, Craig Moore, instead of Croatia's number 3, Šimunić. This clerical error was attributed to Šimunić's Australian accent, as the player was born and raised in Canberra. The confusion led Poll to believe he was cautioning an Australian player rather than the Croatian defender he had already booked earlier in the match.The game continued for several minutes until the 93rd minute, when Šimunić committed another foul and confronted Poll. The referee issued a third yellow card followed by the long-overdue red card. FIFA's Referees Committee, led by Angel Maria Villar Llona, noted that the error was unacceptable at the elite level. Consequently, Poll was not selected for the knockout stages of the tournament and retired from international officiating shortly after the 2006 World Cup.