Zaragoza goalie gets a long ban

Goalkeeper Esteban Andrada will miss Real Zaragoza's next 13 games after his violent outburst with a punch. This was announced by the Spanish football association RFEF. The 35-year-old Argentinian was shown a yellow-red card last Sunday, which automatically leads to a one-match ban. He was then banned for a further 12 games for the gross assault that followed his sending off.

Andrada had completely lost his nerve in the second division relegation duel at SD Huesca - a derby in the Aragon region. He had knocked down the opposing captain Jorge Pulido with a punch.

Scandal in Spain

Zaragoza goalkeeper completely blows a fuse

The scandal was the subject of intense discussion on social media, and Spanish TV stations repeatedly showed and commented on it. Most Spanish sports newspapers described the punishment as "historic".

What had happened? The visitors were 1-0 down in the eighth minute of stoppage time and were pushing for an equalizer. When the referee checked a scene on the VAR, Andrada spoke to him. Huesca captain Pulido got in the way of the goalkeeper and was forcefully pushed away by him. Andrada was shown a yellow card - and lost control.

Riots broke out on the pitch after his punch. The police intervened at times before the situation only calmed down after a few minutes and two further sending-offs.

Andrada shows remorse

Andrada was remorseful after the game. "I regret it very much," said the visibly affected Argentinian on several occasions. Something like this had never happened to him in his career; he had simply blown a fuse. He asked Pulido for forgiveness and accepted the consequences.

Andrada is an experienced goalkeeper who played four games for the Argentinian national team a few years ago and took part in the Club World Cup in the USA with Mexican club CF Monterrey before moving to Zaragoza last summer.