As commented at the end of last week's report, the appeals committee overturned three yellow cards and downgraded a red to a yellow, a decision which upset some of the purists in the game who feel that the referees' authority is undermined by this. However the fact is that, (with the exception of the odd extraterrestrial), most of them are human and can make mistakes on the spur of the moment. As we have commented in the past, all of this could have been avoided if a fourth official had been watching television pictures of the incidents. Falling on deaf ears we are afraid. Incidentally another red card was suspended by the CEDD on Friday, the one given to Rayo's Bolic for supposedly head-butting Westerveld.

Less controversy in the last round of matches, with only one red card, and that is being appealed against. Espanyol's Rotchen was sent off in the next to last match of the weekend at Tenerife after picking up two yellow cards, the first of which was for supposedly feigning an injury. However as television pictures clearly show that Alexis hit him in the face he could be let off. Other than that suspensions are due next week for Idiakez (Real Sociedad) and Lussenhoff (Tenerife), both with ten yellow cards, and for Urzaiz (Bilbao), Josico (Las Palmas), Torres Gómez (Valladolid) and José Ignacio (Zaragoza), all with five. (04.03.02)