Collina: Communication and Prediction as keys of successful refereeing

Pierluigi Collina of Italy, UEFA's chief refereeing officer, has shifted focus on the preparation the match officials for UEFA EURO 2012 have to undergo and furthermore strengthened the foundation stones of successful refereeing as part of an interview given to UEFA.com. 

Pierluigi Collina (c) UEFA.com

As one of the most discernible faces UEFA Refereeing had to offer during the last years, Collina knows best what matters. Having been elected six times in a row as the world's best referee from 1998 to 2003, the main point Collina had become famous for was the until then not recognized ability to have a strong but also respectful approach to the players. Communication and a deep rapport has been being considered vital for refereeing since Collina's era and is nowadays an irreplaceable basis for refereeing on every level, especially on the professional referee he is personally responsible for.

For this reason, Collina has again laid emphasis on the need to be able to have close link to the players. "It must convince the players that the referees are reliable, that the decision taken by him can be grasped.", he stated. Besides, Collina stressed that players were not the enemies of a referee, but that the players could not consider the referees as enemies either. 

Communication as vital ability of referees

Collina has hence two aspect on his mind. On the one hand, he sees communication and the relationship between players and referees as essential, but on the other hand, the athleticism of the match officials is in focus as well. As the game gets faster and is developing more and more, referees have to persistently improve their physical condition and mental awareness, too, which includes being best informed about the teams and players involved in an upcoming match. Therefore, that's another crucial ability according to Collina: "The referee has to predict, he has to be aware of what can happen maybe one second later," he said. "This is the best way to be ready to make a decision. If you are surprised by something, you are very probably wrong. If you know that something can happen, you are ready, it's very probable that you will be right."

With regard to the pending European Championship, Collina also concentrated on the referees' awareness of the tournament's brevity and the consequently emerging need to be at the peak of their skills when it comes to the point. "Everything is important, everything can mean a lot, not only for the teams, but also for the referees. So they are very motivated and determined to show the best performance possible.", he said.

The final tournament will start on 9th June. The full and final list of match officials will follow after the completion of fitness tests that will be accomplished in Warsaw from 30th April to 3rd May.

source: UEFA.com