Referees really got stuck in this week, with 20 from the first division and 10 from the second producing a sum total of 168 yellow and 19 red cards in the first round of the cup. The usually quiet and reserved Losantos Omar produced the highest tally, eleven yellows and two reds in the game between Nàstic and Zaragoza, and with another nine yellows at the weekend he rockets up to second place in our table. The most controversial performance in the Copa del Rey though was by Medina Cantalejo, who upset the long suffering Rayo Vallecano fans (and their lady president Doña Teresa) by awarding an extra time penalty to Mallorca. The ensuing riot went on for some time, and the Madrid based side now face a possible ground closure as a result. It didn't all go against them though, as Medina had done them a favour earlier on by sending off Iván Ramis.

Moreno Delgado got his knickers in a bit of a twist at the weekend, awarding a penalty to Betis against Málaga and then reversing his decision to a free kick for offside at the insistence of the linesman. He also ruled out a Málaga attack for a non existent offside when Duda broke free, and later on sent off Málaga's Romero with a second yellow card for a foul which was to say the least questionable, as the midfielder seemed to catch his opponent's legs accidentally as they both chased after the ball. He was probably correct though in producing a red card for a dangerous tackle by Oliveira on Juanito, but may have been a bit too touchy to show another red card to Betis manager Serra Ferrer for touching his cheek in a gesture which in Spanish means "you've got a lot of nerve...". It seems that he has too! (02.11.04)