There are a thousand and one ways to make your name in the annals of football. Goals galore, a string of trophies, a legendary goal and even a golden whistle. Pierluigi Collina undoubtedly falls into the latter category.
Regarded as one of the best, if not the best referee in the history of the sport, the Italian has left an indelible mark on football through his absolute authority and in-depth knowledge of the game. Elevated to the same celebrity status as the players, he was the perfect referee. Highly publicised during his career, Collina has gradually disappeared from the radar since he put away his whistle. What has become of him?
Pierluigi Collina, a vigilante with a golden whistle…
Pierluigi Collina is the story of a man born to become a judge. Despite the obstacles along the way, the Italian never gave up. Like many of his childhood friends, Collina initially took up football, playing as a defender. But he was soon drawn into the world of refereeing. At the age of 17, he began training as a referee, which proved to be a real revelation.
Seven years later, he was refereeing at the highest amateur level in Italy when he was struck down by alopecia, losing all his hair in just ten days. It was from this that his nickname ‘Kojak’ was born.
Calcio is now debating his ability to manage matches because of his “handicap”. Not that the intimidating-looking referee’s progress was slowed by the fact that he was discovering Serie A by force of circumstance. In total, he refereed for fourteen years in the Italian league. He would later go on to say that “convincing a bald referee that he could manage a match was a great victory”.
Collina’s career peaked in 2002, when he blew the whistle for the World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. Endowed with a natural authority and respected by all involved – he even received congratulations from Ferguson despite being eliminated by Real Madrid – the Italian has become a legend.
He has directed some of football’s most epic encounters. With his distinctive bald head, which earned him the nickname ‘Kojak’ in reference to the TV character, Collina’s authoritative presence on the pitch and his ability to keep the pressure on during matches made him an iconic figure in refereeing. For the record, the former referee is also the only person to have appeared on the cover of a video game (PES 2003). That’s saying a lot.
Although he retired by tendering his resignation in 2005, Collina remained in the same field. He first accepted a position as a consultant to Italian referees in 2006. Then, from 2010 to August 2018, he was UEFA’s chief refereeing officer. His role consists of appointing referees for the UEFA EURO, Champions League, Europa League and UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and ensuring their preparation.
However, Collina still holds a key position in this sector. He is Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
A graduate of the University of Bologna in Economics, the Italian is also a renowned financial adviser in the field, where he puts his expertise to good use for companies. Perluigi Collina occasionally takes to the whistle to referee charity matches. As for VAR, he is not opposed to it, but remains in favour of five-man refereeing or the introduction of a temporary white card.
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