YOKOHAMA, Japan, 29 June — World Cup final referee Pierluigi Collina says he will analyze Brazil and Germany as intently as any coach between now and tomorrow. But after a tournament which has, to some eyes, been marred by a series of poor calls by officials, the bald Italian insists he will not be looking for clues as to which players are most likely to dive, feign injury or hack down their opponents.
Collina, whose unobtrusive style has seen him recognized as the world’s finest match official, said he would spend most of the run-up to tomorrow’s match studying videos of the finalists’ previous matches with the goal of understanding how the two teams would play.
It is just as important for referees to read the match well as it is for players and coaches, the 42-year-old said here yesterday.
It is completely different to a referee whether a team plays three at the back or four, whether there is really very tough midfield pressing or they let the other team play, if they use the wings and so on.
A referee must know how the play will develop. It is not a matter of looking for simulation or bad behavior. Its normally a matter of tactics, to be able to read the match better.
Collina splits his globe-trotting career as a referee with part-time work as a financial consultant in his home town of Viareggio on Italy’s Ligurian coast, where he lives with wife Gianna and his two daughters, Francesca and Carolina.
The Italian, who had been regarded as an overwhelming favorite to get the final as soon as his native country went out of the tournament in the second round, said he was moved by the trust that had been placed in him.
I have tried to keep my feet on the ground but it is very difficult at this moment. Even though I have refereed many big matches in the past, a World Cup final is totally different.
I’m very proud a small Italian flag will be on the pitch in Yokohama tomorrow. I hope everyone from my country is very proud that someone from Italy is ‘playing’ — even though that is not the correct word — in this match.
The respect Collina commands in the world of football was underlined by the reaction of Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to the news of his appointment, and the fact that there was no objection from the South Americans to having a European official in charge.
Players, coaches and the press all respect him, Scolari said. The Brazilian coach dismissed rumors the South Americans, who are sponsored by Nike, had been opposed to Collina because he has done adverts for Adidas, which provides kit for FIFA World Cup referees.
That is so stupid. Collina is not going to change because he has done an advert for Adidas. He is a great referee. Collina was equally scathing about the suggestion he might have been compromised by the adverts, pointing out that all the referees got their kit from the manufacturer under a deal negotiated by FIFA. The conscience of none of them can be sponsored by anyone, he said. My conscience is clear. One of the reasons Collina is so respected is that he is not afraid to show his human side, which he did most memorably when he consoled the weeping Bayern Munich players after they lost the 1999 Champions League final to two late Manchester United goals.
