Eduardo Iturralde González


Eduardo Iturralde González is a retired Spanish football referee.
He frequently referees European matches in the Europa League and Champions League. Iturralde notably refereed the El Clásico on three occasions, in 1999, 2005 and most recently in November 2010, in which he was praised for his solid and free-flowing performance.
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. Two days after the match, the Football Federation of Armenia officially filed a protest to UEFA over the goalkeeper's dismissal.
On March 23, 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 on March 10, 2012. He could not finish this game due to a muscle injury, being substituted by the fourth referee, Gorka Sagués Oscoz, during half time.