Osasuna's Pablo García goes charging clear in our chart this week after getting himself sent off in the match against Atlético Madrid. The Uruguayan midfielder was shown two yellow cards, the second (with apologies to our more delicate readers) for literally arsing an opponent off the ball. His manager Javier Aguirre was also shown a red card for the second time this season for protesting, and Atlético's Marcelo Sosa was sent off for a second bookable offence late in the match.

All in all a record seven red cards this weekend, although no less than four were downgraded to yellows by the disciplinary committee. Three of them came to Racing Santander men off the field of play, the referee sending off manager Lucas Alcaraz (again) and then showing red cards to the physical trainer and to Morán, who had already been substituted earlier in the game. Curiously Morán had already been booked earlier on, but the men in suits decided not to ban him, presumably as he was out of the game when he got the second card.

There was a red card for protesting off the pitch as well for Mallorca's reserve keeper Alberto Cifuentes, who found himself on his way to an early bath without having played a minute all season. His red was also downgraded to yellow by the committee, who suspended the following players for accumulation of (five) yellow cards this season: Alvaro and Buades (Albacete), César (Deportivo), Alexis and Juanito (Málaga), Anderson Silva (Racing) and Gonzalo Rodríguez (Villarreal). (07.12.04)