Sergio Gonella

Sergio Gonella
Gonella in 1975
Born (1933-05-23)23 May 1933
Asti, Italy
Died 19 June 2018(2018-06-19) (aged 85)
Asti
Other occupation Bank manager
Domestic
Years League Role
1964–1978 Serie A Referee
International
Years League Role
1972–1978 FIFA-listed Referee

Sergio Gonella (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛrdʒo ɡoˈnɛlla]; 23 May 1933 – 19 June 2018) was an Italian bank manager and association football referee. He was the first ever Italian appointed to referee the final of the FIFA World Cup[1] which occurred when he took charge of the 1978 final between hosts Argentina and the Netherlands.[2] He is one of only two persons (the other being the Swiss Gottfried Dienst) to have refereed the finals of both the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup.[3] In 2013, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.[4]

Referee career

Gonella's professional career began in 1965 when he debuted in the Italian Serie A, earning an early reputation as being very strict and impartial, after awarding 7 penalties in the first 7 games of the 1965–66 Serie A season. In 1972, he was promoted to UEFA and received the important Mauro Award in Italy. In 1974, he officiated the Italian Cup final between Bologna and Palermo, where Sergio Gonella was criticised in the Italian media over his performance, and was even accused by some pundits of demonstrating clear favourtism towards Bologna, to the detriment of Palermo, when he awarded Giacomo Bulgarelli a penalty in the 90th minute of play, which was later converted by Giuseppe Savoldi to tie the game 1–1. Moreover, in the ensuing shoot-out after the score remained level following extra-time, when Bulgarelli had initially missed Bologna's first penalty, Gonella had him retake it, because he believed that Palermo's goalkeeper Sergio Girardi had moved too soon before saving the shot; Bulgarelli scored his second attempt, and Bologna won the shoot-out 4–3.[3][5] In 1975, he refereed the first leg of the European Super Cup final match between Dynamo Kyiv and Bayern Munich.[3]

At international level, Gonella refereed in the 1976 European Championship final between Czechoslovakia and West Germany at Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade; Czechoslovakia won the match 5–3 penalties following a 2–2 draw.[6]

Gonella also later refereed in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, including the final between hosts Argentina and the Netherlands, which Argentina won 3–1 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires; following the match, he was criticised by the Dutch players for not penalising Argentina captain Daniel Passarella for allegedly elbowing Johan Neeskens.[3] He also garnered media attention when he delayed the start of the World Cup final. This occurred when the Argentines protested an arm cast worn by Dutch player René van de Kerkhof. The Dutch team argued that the cast was passed by FIFA and had already been worn by Van de Kerkhof during earlier matches in the tournament, and they threatened to walk off the field. Finally an extra layer of padding was applied to the cast as a solution, and the match was started.[7] Following the 1978 World Cup final, Gonella retired, having refereed 175 matches in Serie A.[8]

From 1998 to 2000 Gonella was also president of the Italian Referee Association (AIA) and a member of the UEFA Arbitration Commission.[6]

Major matches refereed

Date Match Tournament Venue Result Ref
9 September 1975 Bayern Munich vs. Dynamo Kyiv 1975 European Super Cup final (first leg) Olympiastadion, Munich 0–1 (0–3 on aggregate) [3]
20 June 1976 Czechoslovakia vs. West Germany UEFA Euro 1976 final Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade 2–2 (5–3 on penalties) [6]
25 June 1978 Argentina vs. Netherlands 1978 FIFA World Cup final Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires 3–1 [2]

Honours

References

  1. ↑ Bruno Perucca (23 June 1978). "L'arbitro italiano designato per Argentina – Olanda" [The Italian referee appointed for Argentina – Netherlands]. Stampa Sera (in Italian). Turin. p. 10. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Nicola Rizzoli to referee Final". FIFA.com. 11 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Serie A: morto l'ex arbitro Sergio Gonella". Il Sole 24 ORE (in Italian). 19 June 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Hall of fame, 10 new entry: con Vialli e Mancini anche Facchetti e Ronaldo" [Hall of fame, 10 new entries: with Vialli and Mancini also Facchetti and Ronaldo] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "41 anni fa la vittoria in Coppa Italia: Bologna-Palermo 5-4 dcr" (in Italian). Bologna F.C. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "EURO and World Cup final referee Gonella mourned". UEFA.com. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Salvation army: part two". The Guardian. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Sergio Gonella page at World Referee website". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
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