EURO and World Cup final referee Gonella mourned
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
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Sergio Gonella, the Italian referee who officiated at both a UEFA EURO and FIFA World Cup final in the 1970s, has died at the age of 85.
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Former Italian referee Sergio Gonella – who took charge of both a UEFA EURO and FIFA World Cup final in the 1970s – has passed away at the age of 85.
Gonella officiated at the 1976 UEFA European Championship final in Belgrade, when Czechoslovakia defeated West Germany 5-3 on penalties after the two teams had finished level at 2-2 after extra time
He went on to referee the FIFA World Cup final in 1978, which saw host country Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in Buenos Aires, also after extra time.
President of the Association of Italian Referees (AIA) between 1998 and 2000, Gonella entered the Hall of Fame of Italian football in 2013.