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There’s a chance that Cultural Leonesa coach Ruben de la Barrera may be forced to sit out the entire remainder of the season after getting himself sent off in ridiculous circumstances at the weekend.

During his side’s Segunda Division match against Albacete, De la Barrera took it upon himself to nip a counter-attack in the bud by encroaching onto the pitch and making the tackle.

De la Barrera was subsequently sent to the stands by referee Jose Lopez, though the nattily-dressed 33-year-old was left to profess his innocence after the game.

It was an instinctive act. I believed that the ball was out. I talked to the referee and hopefully he will reflect what he interpreted in the same way.

However, according to local newspaper Diario de Leon, De la Barrera could be facing a 10-match ban, given that was the punishment metered out to former Leganes coach Enrique Monreal when he stepped onto the pitch to break up an attack during a game against Badajoz in 1999/2000.

Coincidentally, Monreal was sat in the dugout opposite De la Barrera on Saturday, given that he is now in charge of Albacate

Cultural are currently mired in the relegation zone, three points from safety with – you guessed it – 10 matches remaining.