All the sevens this weekend for our top villains, with a record seventy seven yellow cards and seven red. Three of the sendings off came in the game between Osasuna and Valladolid, where it was handbags at three paces between local midfielder Moha and his rival Jesús. Both got straight reds from the referee, which was probably a bit hard on the visitor who was the victim of a head butt after a light kicking session and an exchange of words. Valladolid manager Fernando Vázquez also got his marching orders at the end when he told the referee quite explicitly where he could stick it (his whistle, we suppose). Vázquez doesn't deny that he said it, but he expressed surprise that the official knew it was him as he had his back turned at the time!

Talking about speaking out of turn, Darío Silva is back in the bad books only two games after being let off a one match ban (see report week 9). He should have known better though than to provoke a referee who had already shown over a dozen cards in the game, especially with one yellow to his name already, and he has only himself to blame. At first we all thought the Uruguayan striker had probably insulted his own mother again, or perhaps the referee had spotted his insolent thumbs up sign as he walked past him, but according to the official report the second yellow was for time wasting as he was being substituted. Let's see him get out of this one! Guti was sent off in the same match after picking up a second yellow card for a petulant kick at an opponent after he was fouled. He was probably lucky it wasn't a straight red though.

Another who was sent for an early bath for insulting the referee was Albacete's Parri, who made an unacceptable comment about the arbiter's mother at the end of the game against Málaga. And Betis midfielder Ito was the seventh to see red after picking up two bookings at the Nou Camp, the second for a tackle which wouldn't have been out of place in the rugby World Cup. Osasuna's Pablo García produced something similar when he blatantly went looking for a fifth yellow of the season so that he could sit out the next match, which he would miss anyway as he will be on international duty. He is one of eight who complete the five card cycle, the others being De los Santos and Sergi (Atlético), Cuadrado (Murcia), Coromina (Racing), Ricchetti (Valladolid), Ballesteros (Villarreal) and Milito (Zaragoza). (10.11.03)