World Rugby statement: Gonzalo Quesada banned under new match official abuse process

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has become the first coach sanctioned under World Rugby’s new Match Official Abuse Sanction Process after being handed an automatic two-match suspension for comments made following his side’s Nations Championship defeat to New Zealand.

The Azzurri fell 47-17 to the All Blacks in round two of the Nations Championship in Wellington on Saturday, with the Argentine criticising referee Luc Ramos after the match.

World Rugby confirmed the punishment on Wednesday, with Quesada banned from all match-day activities, including being present in the stadium, ahead of their round three fixture with Australia on Saturday in Perth. The governing body also confirmed the Italian boss has the right to appeal the sanction before a full judicial committee.

The new process was introduced this month following discussions at World Rugby’s Shape of the Game forum and now applies across all international fixtures involving World Rugby-appointed match officials. It covers competitions including the Nations Championship, World Rugby Junior World Championship, the WXV, and the Nations Cup.

An independent panel, comprising the independent judicial panel chair and two experienced judicial panel members, reviews comments made by coaches and team personnel to determine whether they undermine public confidence in match officials. The framework specifically targets allegations of bias, prejudice, improper motive, external influence or deliberate attempts to influence the outcome of a match.

Fixture

Nations Championship

Australia

03:10

18 Jul 26

Italy

All Stats and Data

World Rugby said the initiative has been introduced in response to the increasing levels of abuse and threats directed towards referees. The governing body pointed to its social media protection programme, which has found that a significant proportion of online abuse towards officials originates from inaccurate public comments made by figures in positions of authority.

Sanctions under the framework range from no further action and guidance letters to formal warnings and automatic suspensions, with the process running alongside existing misconduct regulations. Quesada is the first individual to receive a suspension under the new policy.