The collina legend
Pierluigi Collina, co-opted member of the FIFA Executive Council with the responsibility for Refereeing, is a living legend in refereeing. He is not only acknowledged in the Italian Serie A, but he is rightly regarded as the best in world refereeing of his generation. The greatest refereeing lesson he teaches is that you can be a referee all your life.
Born in 1960, he came out as the best referee during his active days on the field of play. He had to quit refereeing only because he reached the mandatory retirement age of 45 in 2005. And since then, those in refereeing authority would not let him go because he served football with integrity, humility and passion across continental Europe and the entire world.
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Collina, indeed, has a lot of lessons for all. Bur the greatest is the fact thatyou can be a referee all your life.
I stopped active refereeing (on the field of play) very abruptly. Unlike many others, I did not wait for the end of the season as is usual with many referees. Sometime in 1990, I was appointed to handle a match between two very tough teams from the same town in Brong Ahafo.
A top official of one of the teams, who also had a high position in the then GFA, approached me in my office four days to the match with the mission to influence me with money. Indeed, at the time, I was not aware of my appointment as the match’s middle referee. The official insisted that I had the appointment. He went further to name my assistants.
I refused to accept the money and as soon as he left my office, I sent a hand-written letter through my messenger to the GFA Referee’s Committee to remove my name from the season’s league list. I never handled that match nor any other match. I withdrew from active refereeing and informed the Referee’s Association of the incident and my decision.
That was some 30 years ago. But as at today’s date 30th March, 2020, I consider myself as still involved in refereeing, because, since then I have served as Chairman of the Greater Referees Association and General Secretary of the RAG for 16 years. I have also served as a member of the FA Referees Committee, the Disciplinary Committee and a member of the Match Review Committee of the GFA and Match Commissioner and a Referees Assessor. All of these were possible because of my adequate knowledge of the laws of the game.
Again, as a referee, I had acquired communication skills which helped me in my profession as a Public Relations Manager, especially Public Speaking.
It is, therefore, important that as we engage ourselves in active refereeing, we learn and conduct ourselves professionally and establish a good image and discipline among the public that we deal with. Unfortunately, there are many referees who after hanging their whistles, do not and cannot get close to their football federations and other football associations.
Football needs retired referees so long as they keep fit and knowledgeable. Those referees who get involved in referee administration should serve well in their positions so that even when they depart, goodness and mercy, not insults, shall follow them into their graves. Indeed, one can be a referee all his life.
Today, Collina’s name is on the lips of his contemporaries and all those who have heard or read about him. His is indeed a lesson for all of us to follow.