Newly promoted referees are always anxious to show that
they can hold their own in at the higher level. This week two of the four new
boys made their debuts in the first division, and both proved true to the old
adage. Téllez Sánchez had a bit of a reputation anyway in the
second division as a card flasher, and he produced the highest total to date,
nine yellows and two reds. Once he got into thr swing of things there was no
stopping him, and he even booked the Las Palmas goalkeeper Nacho
González near the end for time wasting when his team were losing 1-0!
The sending off of Sarasua was justified but that of Alberto was a bit over the
top, and he disallowed a perfectly good Salva goal in the first half for a
non-existent offside. He gets our white stick award this week and looks a good
bet already to become the first rookie to pick up the annual prize.
The other debutant
González Vázquez had a more discrete start, but he did get his
knickers in a twist near the end, when he awarded a penalty for Betis and then
changed his mind after consulting his linesman at Hierro's insistence. He too
produced a red card in the final minutes, for Betis defender Belenguer. Two of
last season's new boys also made their mark early, with Undiano Mallenco
heading our table with 15 cards in two games and Muñiz Fernández
upsetting Espanyol players when he and his three assistants all missed a
blatant punch by Javi Navarro on Rotchen. See our villains section for more on
that one. (17.09.01) |
