The 2026 FIFA World Cup produced an unusual piece of history on Friday as Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella became the first person ever to receive a yellow card at the tournament both as a player and as a coach.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the Italian manager was booked during Turkey's 1-0 defeat to Paraguay in their second Group D match. While the result officially ended Turkey's hopes of reaching the knockout stage, Montella's caution secured him a unique place in World Cup history.
The former Italy international was previously shown a yellow card during the 2002 FIFA World Cup match against Mexico. Twenty-four years later, he entered the record books again, this time from the technical area.
Montella's achievement is unprecedented in World Cup history. The only person to have come close is former Slovenia coach Srečko Katanec, who remains the only individual to have been sent off both as a player and as a coach at the tournament. Katanec was dismissed while representing Yugoslavia in 1990 and later as Slovenia's head coach in 2002.
Turkey's campaign has been one of the major disappointments of the expanded 48-team World Cup. Consecutive defeats to Australia (0-2) and Paraguay (0-1) left the Crescent-Stars without a point or a goal after two matches, eliminating them from contention before the final group game.
