Lizondo Cortés was the referee in the news this week after the game between Valladolid and Real Madrid. The rookie referee upset local manager Fernando Vázquez with a series of decisions which went against his side, starting with him waving away appeals for a penalty when Zidane and Guti held on to the shirt of Jesús, preventing him from reaching a corner early on. He then missed a foul by Ronaldo in the play leading up to the first goal, and awarded a dubious penalty when the ball struck Peña on the arm from close range in the second half, sending off the full back when he protested. Although he made up for it sending off Solari for two rigorous yellow cards, Madrid went on to a last minute win which kept them at the top of the table. It normally evens up over a long season, but as always happens when Madrid are involved, the conspiracy theory advocates were having a heyday. (03.02.04)