In recent weeks, a significant burden for Cádiz CF has been the number of red cards they have received. Cádiz’s squad has been reduced to ten men four times this month, and that trend has finally had an impact on the Yellow Submarine.
This situation first arose under coach Paco López and continues to be a problem now that Gaizka Garitano has taken the reins. Under López, Cádiz CF had a player sent off against Eldense in the Copa del Rey and against Elche in LaLiga Hypermotion, a match which marked the end of López’s short tenure with the team. Under Basque coach Garitano, the same story played out against Burgos and Almería in the last two matches of 2024.
To detail, the expulsion of club-trained player Julio Cabrera, following two yellow cards against Eldense in the 81st minute, left him dejected as he left the field. Eventually his team left the ‘KO Tournament’, and he also closed the door to opportunities with the first team, where he had not been a regular starter.
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It happened on December 4, and just three days later Brian Ocampo was sent off in the 54th minute against Elche at the Estadio Martínez Valero, again for two yellow cards. Cádiz CF, which led 1-0 against the Franjiverdes, let this advantage slip away with goals from Josan and Yago Santiago. This defeat (2-1) led to the dismissal of Paco López, thus ending his short tenure at La Tacita de Plata. The coach became increasingly exasperated, as evidenced by his two expulsions in matches against Racing de Ferrol and Sporting, one being a direct red card and the other a second yellow card.
Now based in Cádiz, Garitano saw Fede San Emeterio reduce his team to ten men in the Welsh manager’s second match on 19 December. This happened in Cádiz against Burgos, where the penalty caused by the Cantabrian midfielder, resulting from his second yellow card five minutes from time, allowed the opponents to equalize. Álex Sancris struck decisively against their opponent.
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On December 22, in the final match of 2024 and the first half of the season, Ontiveros was sent off in the 73rd minute for two yellow cards. The Málaga native first gave Cádiz CF the lead against league leaders Almería, who equalized before Ontiveros was sent off with a Luis Suárez goal. The team’s in-form player this season will now miss the next league match against Levante.
These issues reflect growing anxiety within a team that was supposed to be vying for a return to the Primera, but instead found itself in a serious situation. The current goal is to avoid relegation to the Primera RFEF.
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Another aspect to consider is that Cádiz CF has many players who accumulate yellow cards.
For starters, Fali is the second most knowledgeable player in LaLiga, alongside Álex Sala (Córdoba) and Naldo (Racing de Ferrol). The only player ahead of them is Damián Musto, the Cartagena midfielder.
Additionally, players like Víctor Chust, Rubén Alcaraz, Sobrino, Ontiveros and Iván Alejo (who is now in Cyprus with Apoel Nicosia) have all reached the first card cycle, having received five yellow cards each.
Les suivent Brian Ocampo (4); Iza, Fede San Emeterio and Carlos Fernández (3); Zaldua, Matos, Kouamé, Álex and Roger Martí (2); et Caro, Glauder, Moussa Diakité, Tomás Alarcón, Gonzalo Escalante, De la Rosa and Chris Ramos (1).
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This accumulation of boxes poses significant challenges for a team looking to shake off its jitters in the second half of the league campaign. In these moments of calm, everything is likely to progress in a more favorable way.
