[2] He is one of only two persons (the other being the Swiss Gottfried Dienst) to have refereed the finals of both the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup.

[3] Gonella's professional career began in 1965 when he debuted in the Italian Serie A, earning an early reputation as being very strict and impartial, after awarding 7 penalties in the first 7 games of the 1965–1966 season.

Gonella garnered media attention when he delayed the start of the 1978 FIFA World Cup final.

This occurred when the Argentinians protested an arm cast worn by Dutch player René van de Kerkhof.

The Dutch team argued that the cast was passed by FIFA and had already been worn by Van de Kerkhof during earlier matches in the tournament, and they threatened to walk off the field.