Acuna banned for seven games

With Real Zaragoza having been relegated to La Segunda, Acuna could well be on his way out of the club in the summer.

Exasperated with a fan who jumped onto the pitch during the May 5 Villarreal v Zaragoza game, Acuna hit him and it is for this that Acuna has been banned.

The game saw Zaragoza relegated and it would appear that the incident was certainly 'in the heat of the moment'.

Exactly how this affects his World Cup preparations is unknown, but he remained unrepentant, stating he felt justified because the fan had attacked a team-mate.

"This is something that cannot be allowed on a football pitch, even less so in Europe," said Acuna.

He added: "I went to defend a team-mate and a friend and I do not regret anything.  If it happened again I would do the same without a doubt.

"We were facing relegation, we were quite nervous.  Fans of Villarreal jumped on us and no player, nor any professional would allow it.

"To anyone that looks at the images, those in Villarreal are not of the real me, but these things happen and I can understand it if I'm fined.

"There are occasions in which you do not realise what you're doing and you forget yourself and react like a human being."

Acuna's team-mate Cesar Lainez was also suspended for seven games for his part during the incident at El Madrigal, whilst Villarreal were hit with a two match ban from their home ground.