The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have modified their totting up system for yellow card-related suspensions in the Primera Division and Copa del Rey.
In the Copa del Rey, the governing body RFEF have confirmed that they have reduced the number of yellow cards required to trigger an automatic ban from five bookings to three. However, there will also now be an amnesty introduced, seeing all cards wiped at the end of the third round of the competition.
For the Primera Division, it will remain that a player picks up a one-game ban for accumulating five yellow cards. However, an additional one-game penalty and €600 fine is being introduced as a further sanction to any players who deliberately pick up a fifth yellow to activate their suspension.
A trait in recent years has seen players purposefully pick up a fifth booking so as to miss a less-important upcoming fixture, so that they are then free to play in a more important one after that.
However, referees will be encouraged this season to note player attitudes and intent, as well as the circumstances in which a player picks up their booking and if it is deemed deliberate, the player will be given the additional one-game ban.
