A busy start for referees on their return after the winter break, with sixteen cup games midweek and ten more matches in the league at the weekend. Some were in action twice, for example Rubinos Pérez, who rockets into our chart after showing twelve yellows and a red in the tie between Zaragoza and Pontevedra, and another six yellows in the game between Recreativo and Almería.

Not too many problems though, the howlers of the weekend coming from Daudén Ibáñez, who ruled out what would have been Tamudo's hat-trick even though Fuentes was a yard over the line when he cleared, and from Undiano Mallenco, who turned a blind eye to Luis Fabiano's use of the arm to score his first goal against Betis. (08.01.08)