Plenty of cards showh this week, but strangely not by our top group of referees. Téllez Sánchez, González Vázquez and Megia Dávila only managed fourteen between them, a number which any one of them could have produced on one of their better nights. Muñiz Fernández headed the list with ten yellows and two reds in the game between Valencia and Sevilla, but some commentators said he was too easy on the players (except when he lost it at the end with Angulo). Turienzo Alvarez produced nine yellows and a red, and Pérez Pérez was only one yellow behind him. The performance though that caught the attention was from Spain's World Cup referee López Nieto. According to the experts, that honour should have gone to Mejuto González, but as López Nieto is retiring at the end of the season he was given the nod to represent his country in this summer's extravaganza. Mejuto was given the cup final as a consolation, and did a good job last Wednesday. López Nieto though probably cost Deportivo two points in their challenge to regain the league title, sending off César rather harshly early on and then failing to spot that Quevedo had knocked Héctor off the ball illegally as he tried to clear Bolic's headed equaliser. Maybe he needs to get his eyes tested before making the long trip out to the Far East. (11.03.02)