After the final whistle

By Julian Shea

Collina handled many of the game's biggest names

In his prime, Pierluigi Collina was one of the most famous faces in world football.

Not bad for a man who never kicked a ball in anger.

The Italian referee drew instant recognition from fans, and his no-nonsense approach commanded respect from the game's biggest names until his retirement last summer at the age of just 45.

Collina remains as in-demand as ever, and on a rare visit to London, he told an exclusive invited audience at the Johnnie Walker Blue Label presents.... evening some of the secrets of his success - and top of the list was preparation.

"If you don't know the game itself, and how it is played - in terms of tactics, players and technique - you cannot approach the game properly," he said.

"A referee has to enter the field of play knowing all the information regarding the match and all the possible things that could happen.

"You have to be prepared mentally and physically - football is played at high intensity so if you aren't fit, you cannot be ready to take a difficult decision."

Collina is that rarest of things in football, a figure who commands universal respect and admiration from players and fans.

Japan's J League keen on Collina

In his eyes, the way to earn this is fairly straightforward.

"The referee should guarantee to be consistent with interpretation or they create confusion for players and the fans," he said.

"As a referee, you have to know the rules but also the interpretations.

"The book of the laws of the game is only 48 pages - compared to other games, football is very easy but the interpretations are many.

There should be more respect among players. Cheating is not only against the laws, it's against the spirit of the game

"If a player starts with a particular movement you should know where he is going to put the ball, so you can find yourself.

"You have to know in advance what will happen and react accordingly."

Collina's career saw him take charge of some of the biggest names and biggest games in football, and with the stakes so high, his diplomatic skills were often called upon.

"During a match, there are moments for different behaviours - sometimes a smile is important, but at other times you need to pull scary faces," he said.

"If you have been a referee, you realise that sending off a player is not something nice - it's part of your role, but it means something went wrong in the match."

Collina's standing in the game ensured he rarely had to deal with backchat from players, but the lack of respect between fellow professionals is clearly something that upsets him.

"If your opponent gets a penalty because he cheated and dived, you could get relegated and your career could change - it's a lack of respect towards people who are doing the same job as you," he said.

Even football's fieriest characters respected Collina

"There should be more respect among players. Cheating is not only against the laws, it's against the spirit of the game."

After spending 28 years on a football pitch surrounded by men, retirement means Collina is now spending more time at home with his wife and daughters.

"The only other male in the house is the dog, and he doesn't attend to my orders, he's not interested in my opinion," he joked.

Living on the Italian coast, Collina admits life without a whistle takes some getting used to, but he is enjoying the change.

"It's normal to miss something you've done for 28 years, particularly from the age of 17," he said.

"I would be a liar to say I didn't miss it but I think there are other interesting things which deserve to be done.

"I spent an average of 140 days away from home during the last 10 years so being at home is something very new and very nice.

"There are different seasons, now is the family season."