Football Betting Guides: Free-Kick & Fouls Markets

The range of markets on offer from the big UK bookmakers continues to grow, with punters having more choice than ever before. Last season we saw increased activity around betting on fouls and free-kicks and today we’ve answered a few of your questions such as which bookmakers offer these markets, along with which teams and referees ranked highly for fouls last season.

Which bookmakers offer betting on fouls & free-kicks?

Bet365 continues to possess one of the strongest products out there and offer a range of ‘free-kick’ markets, with alternative lines available. The ability to add these into a Bet Builder with other selections on Premier League matches sets the Stoke-based firm apart. It’s worth noting that offsides are not counted, and that free-kicks that are awarded also do not count. 

Another bookmaker we have been impressed with in relation to foul and free-kick markets is Unibet who offer a standard over under line for team fouls on Premier League matches. We’ve also found them to be very competitively priced over the last year. 

Which teams made the most fouls last season?

So let’s take a look at some data from last season. Leeds United topped the Premier League pile, committing more fouls than any other team with 469 in total. That averages out at 12.3 fouls committed per game, with Leeds also going on to set a new record for the most yellow cards in one season with 101 cautions. 

Relegated Watford ranked second with an average of 11.6 fouls per game, with Patrick Viera’s Crystal Palace rounding off the top-three with an average of 10.9 fouls per game. Chelsea also ranked highly for a team who finished so far up the league table with 10.8 per game, whilst at the other end of the fouls table, Manchester City committed the fewest with an average of just 8.4 fouls per game. 

We’d also like to highlight that both Leicester City and Norwich City both committed the same amount of fouls (356) and were given the same amount of yellow cards (55). Quite remarkable over the course of a 38 game season! 

Which referees give the most fouls?

Checking which referee is on duty before placing your punts can often help your chances of being profitable when betting on football, and below you can see all the officials which took control of top-flight matches last season. We’ve ordered this by fouls given per game, with David Coote topping the list awarding 23 fouls per game on average. Jon Moss and Martin Atkinson were the refs who have the lowest ratio of fouls per game, however both have called full-time on their careers at the end of 2021/2022.

Ahead of the new season take a look at our Premier League stats zone. Here you can find all data in relation to players, teams and referees. We’ve a few new features for the 2022/2023 campaign with assists, fouls, and tackles all now added to our hub. You can also view game-by-game data from the previous two seasons to help seek out the value in those betting markets in the coming weeks. 

Please gamble responsibly.