Referees are giving less after the return of football in La Liga. A study from ProFootballDB, BeSoccer's stat laboratory, has checked it. There are fewer yellow cards, fewer red cards, and in fact, fewer fouls.
Before the break, there was an average amount of 5.17 yellow cards per match; after 4.86. This means a reduction of 6.06%. With regards to red cards, the average has gone from 0.09 per match to 0.06, a decrease of 32.92%. It should be stressed that this percentage is high because, although the difference is small, the values are also high.
Second yellow cards have also decreased. The previous average was 0.14; with it now being 0.09, a reduction of 39.10%. Adding this statistic to that of the direct reds, we get the average number of red cards: 0.23 per game before, 0.14 after (reduction of 36.77%).
The fact that the players are cautioned less coincides with the fact that there are fewer fouls. La Liga pre-COVID-19 had 25.83 fouls per match; now there are 25.66%, with the fall being 0.66%. It is noteworthy that, although there are almost the same fouls, the number of cautions has been greatly reduced.
There are also fewer goals. Before the crisis, there were 2.54 goals scored per match; after the crisis, 2.29. The decrease, in this case, is 9.84%. Penalties have been one of the factors that have helped to keep the goals: more are scored, less are missed, and less are saved.