Martínez Munuera drew the short straw in the cup mid-week, the referee at times having to act more like a UN peacekeeper as Barcelona and Espanyol did battle for the second time in four days! In the end there were two red cards for visiting players Diop and Hernán Pérez, as well as a reported incident with Luis “Gary Cooper” Suárez in the players tunnel at the end (see “Villains” section), but with the two teams due to resume hostilities in a week’s time, at best Martínez has only achieved a temporary cease-fire to clear away the bodies! All in all there were six red cards in the first leg ties, but thankfully none in the league at the weekend. Athletic Bilbao were unhappy though with Prieto Iglesias, who awarded a non-existent penalty to their hosts Sevilla when Krychowiak fell over his own feet, just as the Basque side were getting back in the match! (12.01.16)

Name Games played Yellow cards Red cards Total
Iglesias Villanueva 13 90 7 97
Del Cerro Grande 13 92 5 97
Gil Manzano 13 90 3 93
Clos Gómez 13 85 7 92
Alvarez Izquierdo 12 75 9 84
González González 12 77 6 83
Velasco Carballo 12 72 5 77
Jaime Latre 13 69 4 73
Undiano Mallenco 13 68 4 72
Prieto Iglesias 12 68 3 71