Collina insights - Witness history in the making with Pierluigi Collina, as he shares his proudest moments

• Collina's most important matches

  FIFA World Cup final 2002

  Brazil v Germany

  "You gain peace of mind from having done everything in your power to prepare for this event: a spectacle that is, of its kind, unique."

  UEFA Champions League final 1999

  FC Bayern München v Manchester United FC

  "One of the greatest and most satisfying moments of my career."

  FIFA World Cup group game 2002

  England v Argentina

• Collina's top tips

  Two-day rule

  "As a referee, I’d spend at least two days preparing and studying videos of the teams before a match. The same rule applies for fans - start double-checking your plans 48 hours in advance of a match. Being prepared can make all the difference between having a good match experience and having a great one."

  Gastronomy

  "Between matches, it’s important to keep your energy levels up by sampling the local fare."

  Virtual bookings

  "Bookings on the pitch can mark the difference between victory and defeat. My advice would be to get online and do all your travel, accommodation and other bookings in advance."

  Watch your language

  "Make your experience more rewarding by learning some local language to gain the respect and support of your local hosts. Instead of ‘Guten Tag’ try ‘Gruess Gott’ or ‘Gruezi’ in German; instead of ‘Bonjour’ try ‘Salut’ in French; and instead of ’Arrivederci’ try ‘Ciao’ in Italian."

  Currency converter

  "Managing several currencies in several countries can be a challenge, but you can save on the inaccuracies of converting your home currency into cash by sticking to Maestro® debit cards. With no cross-border charges for using debit cards within the Euro zone, your Maestro card will act as a convenient financial passport – so don’t leave home without it."

  Timing

  "As any good goal-scorer will tell you, arriving in the right place at the right time is crucial. Leave yourself an extra 30 minutes on top of your schedule to allow for the unexpected and ensure you don’t miss any action."

  Have a great UEFA Champions League experience!

• Collina's favourite players

  Diego Maradona

  "Anyone who has seen him has to recognise that he is the best of all time."

  Roberto Baggio

  "I don’t think anyone has deserved what they have got from football as much as he does – not just because of his great technical gifts, but because he’s been able to recover from the serious injuries he’s received. And his capacity for bearing this suffering means that he has earned people’s love, a love that makes him everyone’s champion, regardless of team allegiances."

  Ronaldinho

  "Every time I have had the opportunity to meet Ronaldinho on the football pitch, or see him on television, I have been struck by his ability to smile even during the most important moments. Despite the pressure a player has to face when he reaches his level, Ronaldinho always gives the impression that he enjoys what he does. And this is the best publicity for football."

• Collina's best memories

  Securing the match ball after the FIFA World Cup 2002™ final

  "We were just seconds away from the end of the match, with the result clear, and I started thinking about how to make sure the ball didn’t disappear. I had to get hold of it somehow! So I started getting close to the Brazilian player who was in possession at that moment, telling him in Spanish, since I have no Portuguese, to pass me the ball."

  "Perhaps because of the excitement, he didn’t understand, and thus we began a strange sort of chase with time already over. Those who know a bit about refereeing will certainly have noticed it. Then, thanks to a foul committed by a German player, I managed to get to the ball, and, after having picked it up, I blew the final whistle. And throughout the post-match period, including the prize-giving, it remained in my hands because there was a real risk that it might disappear."

  Collina comments on the atmosphere in the FIFA World Cup 2002 match, Japan v Turkey

  "Following two hours of deafening support, as incessant as the rain, from 40,000 excited Japanese supporters, there were ten seconds of absolute, total silence. Their (Japan’s) team had lost and their World Championship had come to an end. To me, those ten seconds seemed like an eternity. I understand now what is meant by a 'deafening silence'."

  "Then – resounding and moving – came a long applause. The dream of the Japanese national team had come to an end, but with that applause the crowd sought to emphasize its gratitude for a result that they thought was excellent nonetheless. It was a magic moment, something I’d rarely experienced before."

• How to referee a game

  Developing a feeling for the game

  FIFA World Cup 2002™ final

  "It was a minor incident in the World Championship final 2002 but it allows me to explain a way of interpreting a match that is crucial for a referee. It’s right in the middle of a final and I notice that a Brazilian player’s shirt is ripped, so I ask him to change it. He receives a new one, takes off the torn one and then starts a strange dance as his arms flail in his attempts to put it on. He ties himself in knots while battling with the shirt. He gets the shirt on, but it’s back to front. Finally he gets it the right way round."

  "Although it was a minor incident, it also illustrates a slightly more serious issue. If I’d applied the rules to the letter, Edmilson would have to leave the pitch, only to be allowed back on once he was dressed properly. Asking him to leave would have meant a failure on my part in interpreting the attitude of that game; it would have been a betrayal of the spirit of fair play that both teams were displaying on the pitch. It was far better to waste some time – even though I hadn’t reckoned on a change of shirt being transformed into a contortionist exhibition – than jeopardize the good atmosphere with a strict application of the rules."

  Understanding the duties of a referee

  Serie A, AS Roma v AC Milan (1993-94)

  In the 1993-94 season in Italy’s Serie A, AS Roma v AC Milan, there was an incident involving Franco Baresi.

  "Three minutes after the kick-off, with Milan playing the offside trap high up on the pitch, a through-ball was passed to a Roma player who played it towards the Milan goal, with no opponents near him and therefore a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Baresi held him back by the shirt, not dramatically, but enough to impede his progress. The outcome to me was inevitable: a red card for Baresi in the third minute of the first half."

  "If the truth be told, over the following days I began to wonder if perhaps I had done him an injustice, sending him off the pitch practically without even having touched the ball. But a referee cannot and must not take into account the colours of the shirts and the names written on them. The referee has to be colour-blind and lacking in memory – he can't afford to recognize the players – and a great champion has to have the same status on the pitch as the latest newcomer."

The Collina interview

Sidelines

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