Cards, suspensions and refereeing calls from the latest round
A weekend of tight scorelines brought four red cards across La Liga and Ligue 1, plus several penalty decisions that will be reviewed by competition authorities in the days ahead.
Camille Perrot ·
The disciplinary ledger for matchday three tells a story of frustration as much as foul play. Yellow cards were up fourteen percent on the equivalent round last season, with most cautions issued for dissent rather than dangerous challenges — a trend referees' associations have flagged in pre-season briefings.
In Pamplona, GET Getafe finished with ten men after a second yellow for a tactical foul on the edge of the area. The dismissal came with twenty minutes remaining in a 0-0 match; seven minutes later OSA Osasuna scored the only goal from a set piece. Getafe's coach questioned the first booking in his post-match comments, though replay showed the player had grabbed an opponent's shirt during a counter-attack.
Penalties and VAR
Two penalty awards across Ligue 1 this weekend will attract retrospective attention. In the first, the referee pointed to the spot after a collision between a defender and forward inside the area; slow-motion replay suggested both players were competing for the ball with arms extended, and the contact appeared incidental rather than deliberate. The kick was converted; the defending club has not ruled out a formal complaint.
The second incident was overturned. An on-field penalty was rescinded after the video assistant recommended a review, determining the attacker had initiated contact by backing into the defender. The decision took four minutes to reach — longer than the competition's target — and restarted play with a dropped ball that produced confusion among players and spectators alike.
Suspension lists for the next round include three players serving automatic bans for accumulated yellows and one serving a direct red-card suspension. A midfielder who received his fifth caution of the season will miss his club's home fixture — a absence the manager described as significant given the player's role in build-up play.
Refereeing consistency remains a talking point among coaches. Two managers referenced the same foul type — holding at set pieces — receiving different outcomes in their respective matches. The league's refereeing director is expected to address the issue in the weekly briefing distributed to clubs on Tuesday.