Elizondo To Retire：（Goal.com） http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoId=91030 World Cup final referee Horacio Elizondo is said to have parted justice on football pitches for the last time. According to several Argentine media outlets the international referee is to retire. For him this was the apex of a successful career, and to go back and practice his craft a couple of weeks from now in the barbed-wire and barra brava-filled Argentine domestic league and Copa Libertadores play. Rumors of his possible retirement gathered steam as his family flew to Germany for the final, because "you don't referee the final of the World Cup everyday." After being snubbed by federation president Julio Grondona for Angel Sanchez ( part of AFA's inner circle) in 2002, Elizondo took full advantage of the opportunity. He is the first referee in history to participate in the opening match and the final of the same World Cup. Add to his resume the fact that he became the second referee to take part in five matches, after Mexican referee Benito Archundia broke the barrier earlier in the tournament. His debut at the international level was during the World Cup qualifiers for France 98 between Ecuador and Colombia. After that he participated in regional qualifiers in Asia, Oceania, and South America. He participated in multiple Copa Americas, Confederations Cup, and the recently concluded World Cup. He was looked upon as the best referee of this World Cup and he handled certain adverse situations with firmness and character. In the quarterfinals in which England and Portugal faced off, he sent Wayne Rooney off for improper conduct. Then in the final he dealt with sending off Zinedine Zidane after his barbaric retaliation against Italian defender Marco Materazzi. He was one of five Argentines to step onto the pitch today- his line judges Rodolfo Otero and Dario Garcia alongside Italy's Mauro Camoranesi and France's David Trezeguet (teammates, for now, at Juventus) were the others. J. Guillermo Sanchez --

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