Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada has been suspended for two matches under new World Rugby guidelines confronting abuse of match officials.
Quesada was automatically sanctioned for “comments made in broadcast and subsequently reported” after Italy lost to New Zealand 47-17 last Saturday in the Nations Championship in Wellington, World Rugby said on Thursday.
Italy played the last 30 minutes down a man after lock Niccolò Cannone was initially sin-binned by referee Luc Ramos for head-butting and it was upgraded to a permanent red card. Cannone has since been suspended for four matches.
Quesada is banned from all match-day activity and can't be in the stadium. He will miss Italy's next two Nations matches against Australia in Perth on Saturday and South Africa in Turin on Nov. 7. He can appeal.
Among his post-match comments on Saturday: “I think the refereeing team was partly to blame for the score. They made a lot of mistakes today. That said, I think the All Blacks absolutely deserved the win; they played an extraordinary game."
“I think the decision against Niccolò was harsh. It obviously forced the team to play with 10 men for a very long time. Every minute against the All Blacks lasts more than 60 seconds; playing with 10 men against them is really tough.”
World Rugby said it started a new match official abuse sanction process across all international rugby this month, after it was agreed at the last annual Shape of the Game forum in February in London.
The process “is targeted at reducing comments which often are the basis of the unacceptable increase in abuse and threats towards match officials.”
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Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada watches his players warm up ahead of the Nations Championship rugby international between the All Blacks and Italy in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Marty Melville/Photosport via AP)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Protesters gathered in downtown Kyiv on Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to dismiss his defense minister as parliament convened to appoint a new prime minister as part of a major government reshuffle.
The shake-up could become a test of Zelenskyy’s political authority as Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches 4½ years.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose technological expertise is credited in part with a significant improvement in Ukraine’s military performance in recent months against Russia’s bigger army, was expected to leave the government after just six months in the post.
Before he became defense minister last January, 35-year-old Fedorov was the head of Ukraine’s digital transformation policies and seen as a modernizer. He won public popularity by spearheading Ukraine's speedy development and deployment of drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms.
He also promised sweeping military reforms, saying after he took over that the military had faced about 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people.
Zelenskyy didn't formally announce Fedorov’s departure. However, Fedorov listed his achievements in office in social media posts late Wednesday, after days of unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports that he was on his way out.
Zelenskyy also nominated Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi to take over as prime minister, parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said in a social media post late Wednesday.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Koretskyi was the most appropriate candidate for the government’s priority of preparing Ukraine for another difficult winter. He cited the Naftogaz chief’s experience in the energy sector.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Ukrainians gather to denounce President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in the post, Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)
