Another quiet week, with only one player sent off in the ten league matches. The unlucky man was Tenerife's Bichi Fuertes, who was shown a second yellow card for diving in the penalty area. Television images appeared to show that the referee was right, and we suppose the conclusion is that Fuertes was not as good an actor as others (who shall be nameless) who have won penalties for their sides over the last few days. It's all a question of timing we suppose, but Fuentes was already into the double gaynor with half pike before Málaga's Contreras had even reached him. Tenerife have not been having much fortune with referees recently. In fact to coin a local phrase, they are so unlucky that, if they were running a circus, the dwarves would grow on them. Four of their players were already suspended this week, and the only bit of good news they had was that the appeals committee reduced Lussenhoff's three match ban to one.

Quite a few players are facing a one match ban for accumulation of yellow cards, including one of our favourite villains, England's Vinny Samways, who picked up his fifteenth yellow card of the season on Saturday. Alex Fernández (Espanyol), Puñal (Osasuna) and Nico Olivera (Sevilla) all picked up their tenth, and Aitor Ocio and Alkiza (Bilbao), Christanval (Barcelona), Rivas (Betis), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid) and Iván Ania (Tenerife again) all received their fifth. Pending possible appeals, all will have a free weekend to kill in four days' time. (08.04.02)