Eduardo Iturralde González

Eduardo Iturralde González
Full name Eduardo Iturralde González
Born (1967-02-20) 20 February 1967 (age 57)
Arrankudiaga, Biscay, Basque, Spain
Other occupation Prosthodontist
Domestic
Years League Role
1995–2012 La Liga Referee
International
Years League Role
1998–2012 FIFA listed Referee

Eduardo Iturralde González (born 20 February 1967 in Arrankudiaga) is a retired Spanish football referee.

He frequently served as a referee for European matches in the Europa League and Champions League. Iturralde notably refereed the El Clásico on three occasions, in 1999, 2005[1] and most recently in November 2010, in which he was praised by Barcelona for his performance.[2]

Iturralde González was the referee of the Republic of Ireland's 2–1 win over Armenia in the last Euro 2012 qualifying match. Early in the game, he sent off Armenian goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky for a handball, although video replays indicated that the ball hit his chest.[3] Two days after the match, the Football Federation of Armenia officially filed a protest to UEFA over the goalkeeper's dismissal.[3][needs update]

On 23 March 2012 he announced his retirement from refereeing due to disagreements with the Spanish Technical Committee, although it was already time for him to retire at the end of the 2011–12 season. His last game was Real Betis vs Real Madrid (2–3) on 10 March 2012. He could not finish this game due to a muscle injury, being substituted by the fourth referee, Gorka Sagués Oscoz, during half time.

References

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  1. ^ "Mourinho: Barcelona happier with choice of referee". www.thejakartapost.com. 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010. Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez has refereed two games between the teams, with Barcelona winning both times, in 1999 and 2005.
  2. ^ "Referee Watch: Eduardo Iturralde González In The Clasico Between Barcelona And Real Madrid". goal.com. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Armenia file protest to Uefa over goalkeeper's red card". Irish Times. 14 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
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