The race for the Spanish La Liga is still neck-to-neck and things took a strange turn at the Calderon Stadium, home to second-placed Atletico Madrid, on Saturday.

Atletico were playing Malaga in a key game which was deadlocked 0-0 in the dying seconds of the first half when Malaga launched a counter-attack on the left wing from a hastily-taken throw-in. Just as a Malaga player crossed the half-way line, a second ball appeared from nowhere.

Or was it a cynical ploy to disrupt the counter-attack (video above)? Did Atletico manager Diego Simeone egg on a ballboy to roll a second ball onto the pitch to disrupt the attack through a means not quite fair?

The referee was understandably furious, and banished Simeone from the touchline after an angry altercation. The Atletico manager did not try to defend himself at the post match interview, admitting that the referee had made the right decision.

The reason for this meekness? Further analysis of the footage purportedly shows Simeone gesturing towards a ballboy to release a second ball on the pitch. Simeone is now facing a possible three-match ban for the offence, at a crucial stage of the La Liga, when his team has to win all the three remaining matches to stand a chance of winning the title.