One in the eye for Spanish soccer

The Spanish Supercup second leg match at Camp Nou on Wednesday night was, as Real Madrid coach José Mourinho pointed out, "a spectacular game from the first to the last minute." The Portuguese provocateur's observation could not have been more precise; it was in the final minute of the game that a vicious tackle by Real's Marcelo on Barcelona debutant Cesc Fàbregas tripped the time bomb that clásicos have become on Mourinho's watch.

Marcelo, who has morphed from a goofy kid with braces on his teeth into a snarling guard dog under Mourinho, was shown a red card and the two benches erupted in anger, with José Manuel Pinto, Barça's occasional goalkeeper, to the fore as he often is, eager perhaps to warm his gloves on anything he can. Mesut Özil, Real's playmaker who prays before matches, was so incensed by something said during the mêlée he had to be physically restrained and was also shown a red card, as was David Villa, even though both players had already left the field of play.

And then, like an opportunistic child on the periphery of a playground beating, Mourinho appeared to sneak up behind Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova and prod him in the eye. "I am educated in the philosophy of soccer," Mourinho said in his post-match press conference. "And soccer is for men, and not to fall down at the first touch. I don't know Vilanova, or whatever his name is, and have nothing to say."

It is widely accepted that some of Barça's players lean toward the theatrical but Marcelo's tackle on Fàbregas was of the sort that breaks legs. "I suppose it was because of a tackle on an opposition player, who threw himself to the floor. It's always the same. We just have to put up with it," said the normally sensible Spain captain Iker Casillas, who should cut a contrite figure after viewing the replay.

National coach Vicente del Bosque will be among those glad that the two sides are not scheduled to meet again until December. Spain's unity and team spirit was a considerable factor in its European Championship and World Cup successes and, with fewer than 12 months until Euro 2012, Del Bosque has been forced to act as much as a minder as a manager since the highly charged clásico series of April and May.

"The images will speak for themselves," Barça coach Pep Guardiola said. "This is going to end badly if it isn't stopped soon."

The uncomfortable question is; who will be charged with that task? Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are treated with kid gloves by the fawning Liga authorities. Meting out serious punishment to Mourinho risks upsetting the cash cow, and the greener pasture of a European superleague is a proposal that refuses to go away. However, Mourinho's antics cannot be allowed to go unchecked indefinitely. Uefa dished out a three-match touchline ban for European competition when the Portuguese essentially accused Barcelona of cheating and the authorities of collusion in the Catalan club's serial success.

"Mourinho is a curse on Spanish soccer," noted Barça vice president Carles Vilarrubí. "Real Madrid cannot support its coach in incidents like this. It is vital that someone does something so this does not happen again."