Statement: Italy head coach banned with immediate effect

Thursday, 16 July 2026 at 08:03

bySteven Smith

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has been handed an immediate two-match suspension by World Rugby following comments he made about match officials after Italy's Nations Championship defeat to New Zealand.

The sanction comes under World Rugby's newly introduced Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, which came into force this month across elite international competitions.

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Why Gonzalo Quesada has been banned

World Rugby confirmed that Quesada received an automatic two-match suspension, preventing him from taking part in any match-day activities, including being present inside the stadium.

The governing body said the punishment relates to comments the Italian coach made during a broadcast interview following Italy's Nations Championship clash against New Zealand on 11 July.

Quesada retains the right to appeal the decision to a full judicial committee.

World Rugby introduces tougher stance on referee abuse

The sanction is the first major test of World Rugby's new Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, which was agreed at the recent Shape of the Game Forum.

The framework now applies across all major World Rugby competitions, including:

Nations Championship
World Rugby Junior World Championship
WXV
World Rugby Challenger Series
World Rugby Nations Cup

The independent process is designed to tackle the growing level of abuse directed at referees by holding coaches, players and other team personnel accountable for public comments that undermine confidence in match officials.

An independent panel considers whether comments suggest a referee acted with bias, prejudice, improper motive, outside influence or deliberate intent to affect the outcome of a match.

The panel also considers factors such as the reach of the comments, the role of the individual making them, the timing of the remarks and whether they led to increased abuse of match officials online.

Possible outcomes range from no further action and guidance letters through to formal warnings and automatic suspensions.

World Rugby statement

World Rugby said:

"In line with the provisions of the Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, World Rugby can confirm that an automatic two-match suspension has been issued to Gonzalo Quesada (Italy Head Coach), which includes a ban on all match-day activity, including being present in the stadium, as a result of comments made in broadcast, and subsequently reported, following the Nations Championship match against New Zealand on 11 July."

The governing body added that the new process works alongside existing disciplinary regulations and forms part of its wider effort to combat abuse of referees.