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villain of the week this week was the last person you could imagine. Real
Madrid's Raúl has had a spotless record since joining Real Madrid, and
has never been sent off in his time at the club. However UEFA decided to
suspend him for one match in the Champions League on video evidence after he
scored the first goal against Leeds United with his hand. The evidence was
clear despite Raúl's inexplicable denials, but should UEFA be taking
action after the event when there is no such precedent in all their history?
The debate rages on. UEFA also questioned the unethical practice of
deliberately provoking a yellow card to serve out a suspension during an
unimportant match, and threatened to penalize Figo for doing so. This is normal
in Spain however, and Makelele, Mendieta, Guardiola and Roberto Carlos are just
a few of the players to do so recently, normally under instructions from their
manager. This was the case this week of Schurrer, on loan from Deportivo to Las
Palmas, who followed the example of Manel seven days ago picking up his fifth
yellow and being banned just when his team play Deportivo, a match he would
have to miss anyway under his contractual agreement. Maybe they should just ban
Deportivo from insisting on such clauses? Referees sent off six players this
weekend, the highest total since day 13. Last year's top villain Téllez
got his marching orders for the second time this season after a linesman
reported him for an off the ball incident with Ballesteros. The Rayo player
said on a radio program afterwards that he had made everything up, and may now
get a caution himself for the incident. Quintana got himself sent off in the
same match, picking up a second yellow card and then insulting the referee, and
he too could get an extended suspension. Two sent off as well in the game
between Málaga and Zaragoza, with Bravo getting sent for an early bath
for a second yellow card and Juanele getting caught measuring Sandro's neck
size two minutes later, only five minutes after coming on. Celta's
Cáceres gave away the fastest penalty in Spanish league history when he
brought down Valladolid's Alberto after 13 seconds. However Alberto pushed his
luck too far when he tried falling in the penalty area again just before half
time, picking up a second yellow card for diving and getting sent off. Bilbao's
Lacruz was the other player to see red, again for a second caution right at the
end of his match. Finally the disciplinary committee opened an investigation on
Djalminha after Michael Robinson reported him on his television show for an off
the ball aggression on Mallorca's Fernando Niño last week.
(12.03.01) |
