'Iron man' takes centre stage

Pierluigi Collina is as recognisable as the players

There was a time when referees were absorbed into anonymity once a match was over.

But the man in charge of Saturday night's showdown between England and Germany will be every bit as recognisable as the world famous stars he will officiate.

With his gleaming bald head, piercing eyes and animated demeanour, Pierluigi Collina cuts a striking figure on the field of play and has been the subject of much debate off it.

You are not going to get anyone storming up to Collina without seeing a yellow or red card.

Former Premiership referee Roger Milford

Known as the ice-cool Italian, or the more succinct "iron man", Collina has almost cult status among the men-in-black

With Euro 2000 a mere day old the 40--year-old official was already making his mark with a performance tinged with controversy and the bizarre.

Dissent

In the final minute of the match between Holland and Czech Republic he awarded what looked like a harsh penalty from which the Dutch struck the only goal of the game.

To add to the Czech's sense of injustice he sent off Radoslav Latal, who had already been substituted, while the referee had an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with another player.

But Collina is rated by Uefa as one of the best referees in the world, a view shared by top managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Kevin Keegan.

Ince has been warned

Even Paul Ince, who has been sent off twice by Collina as an England and Inter Milan player, recently described him as a "fantastic ref".

Strict

Collina is certainly the man used to the big occasion, having refereed several internationals and the 1999 European Cup final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Former Premiership referee Roger Milford told BBC Sport Online that this experience will be very important for the game in Charleroi.

"Out of all the referees out in Belgium and Holland he is one of the better ones," said Milford, who is now a referees' assessor.

Collina makes his point

"In the course of the tournament there is going to be high profile games and you need a better class of referee for these matches.

"Collina is strict but fair. You are not going to get anyone storming up to him without seeing a yellow or red card. He does not let players take the mickey but they know where they stand.

"My only concern is that sometimes referees on the continent don't always follow the exact letter of the law and the England players will have to keep their frustration in check."

Every player - even the substitutes - have been warned.