You may not know why you know this man. But you do. You’ve likely seen his image flashed on some sports program or in some magazine article that you might not have paid much attention to. He’s not a celebrity in America — yet — but he’s immediately identifiable to soccer fans (and non-fans) nearly everywhere else.
Orson Welles would have loved Pierluigi Collina. On the eve of Halloween 1938, when Welles panicked America with his dramatic radio eyewitness account of Martian creatures landing in New Jersey, Welles only needed to add that the landing took place on a soccer field and identified one of the invaders as the bald, bulging-eyed man with the whistle to have blown the whole cover of Collina as we know him now, or believe we know him.
In Europe, where soccer is king and fans are rabid for their teams, the Italian Collina is known by all. They call him E.T., the extraterrestrial, or Kojak, for the famous Telly Savalas television character. But in even larger circles, in international soccer, Collina is a true cult figure. He has a worldwide fan club and is often noted as a “sex symbol,” with women swooning for him as much as they would any of the athletes. He maintains his own personal website (see sidebar) and admirers have devoted their own fan sites to Collina (one going so far as to laud him as “The Emperor of Honor”). He has been voted the Best Referee in the World five times in succession by the Football History and Statistics Federation, and his visage can be seen on thousands of T-shirts worn by the soccer-going public proclaiming “Collina for President.”
How can that possibly be for a man who indulges in an activity in which insults, abuse, threats and accusations of corruption are the norm? In many places around the world, sports officials are spat upon, ridiculed, physically attacked and in every way vilified. Has any other official in any sport ever achieved the level of adoration — or at least public interest — as Collina? He must be from another world.
Otherworldly Appearance
In his earthly form, the 42-year-old Collina is by all accounts one of the nicest gentlemen you could ever wish to meet. More than six feet tall and weighing in at 165 pounds, he has impressive stature. He is an immaculate dresser, who oozes Italian style and charm (Collina was even invited to model a suit in Rome’s Haute Couture Spanish Steps fashion gala last July).
Much of his popularity stems from his physical image — a bizarre marriage of Uncle Fester from the Addams Family thrown together with the sleek athleticism of Michael Jordan. Not only that, but he has a rubberfaced ability to constantly change expressions. Perhaps Jim Carrey studies Collina footage for inspiration.
Instantly recognizable standing alongside England’s superstar soccer player David (Mr. Posh Spice) Beckham in European adidas advertisements, Collina lets his referee skill speak for itself.
Off the soccer field Pierluigi Collina is Mister Nice Guy but, when he’s in the cauldron of a top crunch game, demanding intense concentration, the whole scene can change in an instant.
Here you can believe a War of the Worlds description of Martians leaving their spaceship armed with deadly ray guns. A totally bald dome-shaped head glistens in the sun’s rays on running sweat, the skull punctured by Frankenstein eyes under bulging hairless brows. When he’s calm, those eyes are sparkling icy blue but, on the soccer field, they often flash like traffic signals — a bright green for “OK, keep playing,” snake yellow for “I don’t want to see that again,” blazing red for “Get walking.”
It’s during those times when millionaire players are out of line that Collina’s eyes become demonic with glaring pupils like great balls of fire about to jump out of their sockets. The normally smooth-skinned face distorts into vertical crevices enclosing a cruel, thin line of mouth. Clear body language and gestures reinforce every decision. It’s no wonder he has a reputation for frightening the life out of even the toughest of players. They rarely contest calls or even the red or yellow cards he’s sometimes forced to show. But such is the countenance of Collina that in the next instant a toothy, boyish smile might soothe and encourages the good guys.
The stark baldness is not by design. In fact Collina has no hair anywhere on his head. The hairlessness is the result of a disease called alopecia that Collina contracted in 1984. Although non-life threatening, alopecia can be traumatic, both physically and mentally. It involves serious loss of body hair, particularly evident about the head. There is little hope for reversal, but many support groups exist to guide sufferers through the initial and later stages to rebuild lifestyles and confidence. Collina serves as a shining example of accepting and even using the condition to develop a unique personality.
He makes light of what at the time was a sudden physical transformation — in only 15 days after contracting the disease Collina lost all his hair. “Perhaps I was lucky, but I did not suffer the social embarrassment that others experienced in those days. I was fortunate that it was just becoming the fashion for men, particularly celebrities in the arts, to shave their heads,” he says. “Today, bald seems to be beautiful!” he adds with a chuckle. “Perhaps, if some of my referee friends adopted a bald look, they might benefit from easier recognition!”
While Collina readily admits his smooth dome hasn’t done anything to hurt his career — in fact, quite the contrary — he also is quick to defend other sufferers of the disease. Collina took offense during an Oct. 9, 2002, Italian television program, described as the “Soccer Oscars,” when he was made fun of in a spoof advertisement for “Collina hair lotion.”
“I receive e-mails and letters from mothers whose sons have alopecia and I also receive requests for advice from people who have that illness,” Collina explained in the Italian press. “I think some respect needs to be shown. For me it is no longer a problem, as is clear, but for others it certainly is. … For a kid who is forming his personality and has alopecia … joking in that manner does certainly not help him to be well. That is what annoyed me during the broadcast. To use irony is all right but (to) offend the feelings of people with problems is not (acceptable).”
Suave and Continental
While Collina’s physical attributes help him get attention, it’s his uncanny ability to project the perfect countenance for every given situation that makes him an influencing presence. He looks you straight in the eye and has the knack of making you feel important to him. His voice is quiet, reassuring but firm. Add an innocent smile, frequent chuckles and you’re hooked. Brains too, earning an economics degree at Bologna University in 1984. He’s at home speaking English, Spanish, French and, of course, Italian, which he delivers at a machine-gun, staccato rate when excited.
Pierluigi, or “Pigi” to his friends, is married to Gianna and is the adoring father of two girls, Francesca Romana (age 11) and Carolina (age seven). A frisky Scotty West Highland terrier rounds out the Collina family home in the town of Viareggio, known as the Pearl of the Tyrrhenia, on the Italian West Coast near Pisa. Winter family holidays follow the sun to Spain and the Canary Islands. He loves reading, particularly the legal thrillers of John Grisham, and communicating with family and friends via the Internet. Mood music for him is jazz.
In Italy, unlike in some European countries — notably England — the top referees are not full time, and as such, Collina’s “real” job is as a financial advisor specializing in government bonds investments. But sport has always been his life.
Growing up in the basketball-crazy town of Bologna, he played the game in high school and continues to be a staunch supporter of the Bologna Fortitudo team, which won the basketball Serie A championship three years in a row. Think of him as an Italian version of Jack Nicholson courtside for the Italian version of the Lakers.
Baseball, tennis and soccer were his other active sports, although Collina is modest about his skill level at any games. At 15 he played soccer for a Pallavicini church team as a central defender but he jokes, “I was more of a nuisance value and often got into trouble with referees. I was sent off several times.” Sidelined by an injury at 17, he was teased by a teammate into a referees’ training course being offered in Bologna, but he never had any intention of taking the role seriously. Once in, though, he was hooked.
That short, turbulent soccer playing experience was enough to qualify Collina as a connoisseur of the trickeries of soccer players. As they say, “Ex-criminals make the best cops.” Starting off his officiating career in 1977, success came quick — three years to reach the highest regional level, the National Third Division in 1988, and then the top Serie A debut in December 1991.
Collina made his mark as a strict disciplinarian when the Italian League was at its zenith in world soccer. He has controlled (in the truest sense of the word) 180 Serie A matches, including titanic clashes between the cream of clubs — Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, Roma, Lazio and all the others.
Outside Italy, in European League and Cup games, Collina strengthened his solid reputation and was accepted as an international referee by FIFA in 1995 as one of the youngest officials at that level.
Popular but Skilled, Too
Of course, the pinnacle of his international success came last June when Collina was selected to control what is arguably the biggest pressure-cooker match in the world. With eyes half closed and a satisfied smile, Collina recalls, “Of the many wonderful matches it’s been my privilege to referee, the one that stands out is, of course, the Brazil vs. Germany World Cup Final in Japan last year. From the moment I was informed of my selection, right through the whole experience until the last whistle, I was in dreamland.”
Pausing to put the occasion in perspective, he continues, “Here were two giants of World Cup history — Brazil with four titles and Germany with three — recalling famous players like Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Beckenbauer, Matthäus and Völler. Now I was to be in the middle of the modern stars — Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Carlos, Hamann, Kahn and Klose.
“Compared with the hundreds of players who have appeared in the final matches, dating from 1930, I was very conscious that only 16 referees had controlled them. I was to be number 17.”
Every referee acknowledges the moral support of others to meet unknown challenges in big games. Collina remembers, with pride, “I had marvelous messages from family, friends and strangers, including many from America, that lifted me onto a high plane. With that support and encouragement I knew that my team of officials would cope with any eventuality. We all had a fantastic experience. Even months after that day, I still find it difficult to accept it was not a dream.”
Confirming his voted status as the Best Referee in the World, Collina received many accolades for his handling of the final, which Brazil won, 2-0. Not too surprisingly, the only place his popularity seemed to diminish was in Germany. His popularity became so far reaching, in fact, that just months after the World Cup, Collina was tabbed by the Japanese company Hatchando for a series of television commercials to endorse its octopus-based snack food takoyaki. (Said the Hatchando press release announcing the deal, “Mr. Collina’s tenderness and warmth is akin to the sense of hotness and security which is inherent in takoyaki.”)
The 2002 World Cup was Collina’s second, having been one of the officials selected for the 1998 World Cup in France. Collina also took his show to America on two very high profile assignments: the first for the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta and Miami, where he refereed four matches, including the final match between Nigeria and Argentina; the second in 1997 to officiate the U.S. vs. El Salvador World Cup qualifier.
“I liked very much the warm, friendly people I met everywhere who made me and other visiting officials so welcome,” he says.
The Undisputed Man in Charge
Regardless of his memorable appearance or perceived popularity, it is what Collina does on the pitch that makes him a success.
He has a commanding style on the field. With his powerful, menacing presence, Collina simply stares out players until they accept his decisions, which are mostly correct. He has little patience for unfair acts and less for blatantly disparaging behavior. He proved that once, famously, by halting an Italian League match until officials removed a racist fan’s banner that insulted a black player.
Arrogance might come easily to one such as Collina, but that is an attribute he seems to lack, as attested by many of his officiating peers. Collina is popular among his fellow referees and he readily admits to mistakes. “Of course (I make mistakes),” he asserts. “I don’t make any fewer mistakes than my colleagues, and I cannot hide them. They were less obvious in the early years of TV coverage, when there were only two or three cameras, but now the whole field is surrounded by up to 20. I have only two eyes.”
Those eyes start to smolder when the criticisms of the refereeing during the 2002 World Cup are mentioned. While Collina himself was not singled out for undue criticism, the entire group of FIFA officials was treated harshly on several occasions in the world media. “In 64 international matches, played in the most exacting conditions for the players and officials, there are bound to be some mistakes by human beings trying to be perfect,” he says, his voice rising. “We accept fair criticism and do our best to eliminate our faults. What we strongly object to are vicious personal attacks when we know we have made the right call.”
As an example Collina recalls an earlier incident involving American referee Esse Baharmast, which made world headlines during the 1998 World Cup in France. Briefly, Baharmast called a crucial penalty in the Brazil-Norway match, which decided the Group A standings. Unfortunately, not one official camera caught the action that led to Baharmast’s call, which set the media alight with speculation. The consensus in the press was Baharmast got it wrong.
“I was with Esse for the next two days,” recalls Collina. “It was a nightmare for him. He was destroyed.” Collina shakes his head slowly at the memory. Then he recounts how a maverick Swedish channel produced film showing the indisputable evidence that Baharmast was 100 percent right. “Fortunately, the media were informed in time for the truth to be broadcast and some apologies appeared but, although vindicated, Esse was in a state of shock, devastated.”
Far From Done
Having achieved the pinnacle of soccer as a referee at 42, what now for Pierluigi Collina? Too young to retire and too old by the time the 2006 World Cup comes around in Germany — unless FIFA eases the age limit for referees before that time, which might happen.
Scarcely had the clamor of praise for Collina’s handling of the World Cup Final died away when the debate about the FIFA retirement age of 45 for referees had begun. Could it be right that the man widely acknowledged as the best referee in the world would not be appearing in the 2006 finals in Germany because, at 46, he would be too old? In the early ’90s, FIFA lowered the age limit from 50. Perhaps it will be raised again in time for Collina to enjoy one more World Cup.
Until then, rumor has it that some rich Italian clubs, tired of their superstars blanching from Collina’s bug-eyed stare, are passing the hat around to finance a spacecraft to lift off Collina back to Mars, or whatever other planet he originally spawned from. That should suit him fine because he’ll likely want to be there for the opening game of the Galaxy Champions League between Venus and Jupiter — no pushover, that one!
However, it’s quite likely that before he rejoins his spaceship, Collina will continue to enjoy his popularity, well aware that it could all end any day. “I keep my head in check,” he chuckles, “knowing that my next mistake could bring down the critics on me.”
Note about the Author: Renowned soccer author and official Stanley Lover refereed more than 1,000 matches in European and international leagues and tournaments. Presently living near Paris, he is the author of several books, including Soccer Rules Explained and Soccer and Its Rules, which are available from Soccer Learning Systems, San Ramon, Calif.
Collina Online (Editor’s Note: Sidebar from original 2003 print edition, reflecting websites active in 2003. Access them at your own risk.)
Type in Pierluigi’s name into any popular search engine such as Yahoo or Google and you’ll get thousands of hits in return — actually 13,200 on Google. By way of comparison, typing in “Ed Hochuli,” a well-known NFL referee, produced 1,080 hits; “Dick Bavetta,” widely known NBA referee, came back with 2,810 hits; and “Bruce Froemming,” longtime major league umpire, produced 5,930 hits.
Not only is he referenced on those 13,200 web pages, but Collina designed and maintains his own website at www.pierluigicollina.it/english/home.html, where you can read through his personal biography, browse photos of Collina, send him e-mail, ask him questions or get his autograph.
Collina’s popularity is such that he’s even spawned several fan websites devoted to all things Collina. Several of those fan sites are in foreign languages, but two English-based sites are: www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Cockpit/6099/pierluigi/ and www.collina.8k.com/main2.htm.
