Another six red cards this weekend, including two for Valladolid players at Málaga, where Aganzo saw a straight red for suggesting that something unpleasant should befall the linesman's mother and then Colsa followed him after getting a second booking. You can understand that they were unhappy though, as they had just fallen behind to late Canabal goal.

Two red cards in the match between Barcelona and Deportivo as well, where Romero and then Saviola picked up second yellow cards in the second half within minutes of each other. With the big match coming up next week at Real Madrid, some of the more fanatical Barça fans saw a "black hand" in the sending off of their man, especially as both were questionable, the first supposedly for diving when the Argentine striker was brought down in the area and the second for a hand ball when he controlled a pass with his upper arm. The disciplinary and the appeal committees turned down claims for the one or other of the cards to be cancelled, and eventually the club decided not to take the matter further and keep him in reserve for the Champions League match against Juventus instead.

The quickest sending off of the weekend though, and maybe of the whole season, was that of Valencia's Marchena. The young Spanish international was standing in for Ayala, and with only thirty seconds on the clock he brought down Osasuna's Aloisi on the edge of the area. Off you go, my son! Racing's Pablo Casar was also given a straight red early in the second half of the game at Mallorca, a great blow for him as he had just won his way into Piterman's side.

There was the usual round of players suspended after completing the next cycle of five yellow cards, including Sevilla's bright young star Reyes. He is a great talent, but will miss a game for the third time this season after picking up his tenth yellow card of the season. Fire and ice there then? Four more will miss next weekend's games after picking up their fifth card, Fernando (Betis), Vicente (Valencia), and Jorge López and Josico (Villarreal). (16.04.03)