- published: 21 Oct 2013
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Joël Quiniou (born November 17, 1950) is a former football (soccer) referee from France. He is best known for supervising eight matches in the FIFA World Cup, one in 1986, three in 1990 and four in 1994.
Quiniou gained notoriety during the 1986 World Cup group stages when he sent off Uruguay's Jose Batista in the first minute of the match against Scotland, after a rough tackle on Gordon Strachan. This remains (in 2014) the fastest dismissal in World Cup history.
Quiniou received criticism for his performance at the 1994 FIFA World Cup Semi-final between Bulgaria and Italy. Several penalty claims by the Bulgarians were turned down, most notably when Alessandro Costacurta handled the ball inside the penalty area.