© EuroFootball.com
One of the most famous referees in the world, Italian Pierluigi Collina, announced on Monday his withdrawal from the Italian Referees Association due to a conflict of interest, and at the same time, the end of his career in his homeland.
Although 45-year-old Collina would not have been able to referee this year due to his age according to the current rules, he was granted a special permit to work as a referee for another year. However, this summer he was accused of a conflict of interest when he signed a sponsorship agreement worth 800 thousand euros per year with the "Opel" company, which is one of the sponsors of the "Milan" club.
Initially, the vice president of the Italian league, A. Galliani, tried to resolve the situation by promising that Collina would not referee "Milan" matches, but the referee was not appointed to referee the first round of "Serie A" and it was thought that he would be transferred to the lower "Serie B" league.
"After 28 years of work, I decided to submit a resignation letter to the Italian Referees Association. This is something I could not avoid," Collina said. "I wouldn't have had any problems refereeing in 'Serie B,' but there is no point in continuing all this when a referee has lost trust - that's why I'm stepping down. Ultimately, I think everyone lost in this situation."
It is believed that the referee could continue his career in one of the foreign leagues - earlier, the vice president of the Premier League, David Dein, has hinted that he would like to see Collina refereeing in England, but the Italian himself does not reveal his further plans.
Pierluigi Collina, who holds an economist diploma, became one of the most well-known figures in the football world during his refereeing career. The bald and bespectacled referee earned an excellent reputation and the respect of players, coaches, and fans for his quick and fair decisions.
Collina, who was named the best referee in the world five times, reached the peak of his career in 2002 when he refereed the World Cup final, where Brazil played against Germany. Previously, the Italian had also worked at the 1996 Olympics, the famous 1999 Champions League, and the 2004 UEFA Cup finals.
