(ANSA) - Pierluigi Collina, the world's most famous referee, shocked Italian soccer on Monday by quitting because of a row over a sponsorship deal.
The Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) had told Collina he must drop an agreement with Opel or spend the last season of his career in the second division - Serie B. FIGC and the Italian Referees Association (AIA) claimed the sponsorship constituted a conflict of interest because the carmaker also backs Serie A giant AC Milan.
On Monday, however, Collina said he could not pull out of the contract, reportedly worth 800,000 euros, and announced his resignation. "I have decided to resign from the AIA," an emotional Collina told reporters in his Tuscan hometown Viareggio.
"I take this decision after 28 years of service. In the end, all of us have lost. It would have been no problem for me to referee the whole season in Serie B. But the question is whether you believe in the referees or not. It's no use going on if there is no faith in the referee."
Ironically, FIGC recently changed its rules regarding retirement to enable the bald-headed official to have one last season in the top flight. Collina, voted the world's best soccer official five times, said he had less sleep Sunday night, ahead of the announcement, than he did before refereeing the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.
He explained that he felt honour-bound to "respect the rules" of the agreement to feature in an advertising campaign for Opel's New Vectra. Respecting the rules is fundamental for me, as a man and as a referee," he said.
When the conflict-of-interest issue first emerged Milan proposed a compromise, in which Collina would be excluded from refereeing its matches. But FIGC decided to adopt a hard line, despite calls for Collina to be allowed to carry on from a number of coaches, including Fabio Capello, the boss of Milan's eternal rival Juventus.
The 45-year-old admitted he had made a mistake in not informing FIGC about the Opel deal. He said he had not done this because he did not want to appear to be going over the head of AIA President Tullio
Lanese. However, Collina insisted that Lanese "knew everything" and claimed he even congratulated him on landing the contract.
He also stressed that he had never had to obtain written permission from the federation for previous
sponsorships. The news caused dismay in the world of Italian sport and politics.
"I'm sorry that it ended this way," said Inter Milan Chairman Giacinto Facchetti. "We have lost a referee who could have been precious in such a difficult championship with so many important matches. "Collina has always been considered the best referee in the world and he is certainly one of the best of all time. It seems to me that there are no lack of conflicts of interest in our football. Maybe this was one of those that
could be accepted."
Green Party MP Paolo Cento described Collina's resignation as "an act of great loyalty and transparency and an accusation against others in the world of soccer, starting with the game's chiefs, who have much more serious conflicts of interest than him."
AS Roma supporter Cento's reference to the "chiefs" is probably directed at Adriano Galliani, the vice chairman of Milan - which is owned by Premier Silvio Berlusconi - and president of the Italian Soccer League. The resignation has led to speculation that Collina may now referee his last season abroad, possibly in the English Premiership.
The Italian official is considered something of a lucky charm in England. This is because he refereed some of English soccer's most memorable recent victories. These included Manchester United's dramatic defeat of Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final, and the national team's victories over Germany (1-5, September 2001) and Argentina (1-0 during the 2002 World Cup).
Opel is not the first firm to make use of Collina's appeal, which is undoubtedly enhanced by his penetrating gaze and his distinctive bald head, caused by a bout of alopecia at the age of 26. He has appeared in a number of adverts, including ones for gorgonzola cheese, sports equipment and Japanese octopus hamburgers.
What's more, his trim figure and masterful personality have made him a sex symbol for many women. Collina, who is married with two daughters, is a graduate in economics. He is an accomplished linguist too,
with good Italian, French, English and Spanish. In 2003, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi awarded
him the title of 'commendatore' - one of the country's top honours.
