ROME: Sergio Gonella, the Italian referee who officiated the final match of both a World Cup and a European Championship in the 1970s, has died at 85.

Gonella officiated at the 1976 European 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 World Cup final in 1978, which saw host country Argentina beat Holland 3-1 in Buenos Aires, also after extra time.

Gonella’s handling of the final with a number of controversial and off-the-ball incidents was heavily criticised. However he went on to become president of the Association of Italian Referees (AIA) between 1998 and 2000 and was admitted to the Hall of Fame of Italian football in 2013.

###############