Clos Gómez had a difficult decision to make this weekend when refereeing the game between Betis and Athletic Bilbao. Twenty minutes from the end visiting keeper Armando was felled by a bottle thrown by an idiot in the crowd, and with a nasty cut just below his eye was unable to carry on. Athletic had already made all three changes, so Clos was forced to suspend the match.

A similar incident occurred a year ago when the then Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was knocked unconscious by something throw from the stands, and although the crowd caught the culprit themselves and handed him over to the security forces, the disciplinary committee decided to close the ground for two matches and leave the result as it stood, with Athletic winning 1-2. Betis are expected to appeal for the match to be completed and the ban to be lifted.

Iturralde González and Paradas Romero also had a few problems, the former after things flared up in the match between Getafe and Racing, and the latter in the game between Espanyol and Mallorca. Iturralde produced three red cards, although the one he showed to Pablo Alvarez whilst still on the bench was subsequently overturned on appeal. Paradas upset the Mallorca players and staff with his decisions, and he too sent Ballesteros and two of the coaching staff off, as well as producing yellow cards which will leave the Islanders without Basinas and Ibagaza next weekend. (18.03.08)