Interesting article... http://skysports.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=204689&cpid=8 Looks like the earlier retirement age in Italy than in England could land Collina in some spotlight matches in England over the next few years. Jarrett
Maybe. But I have suspicions that might just be idle talk by Dein. This was the official answer in January when talk of him moving first started up. If it does happen, it won't be because the FA thinks players and referees are getting "too friendly". A no-confidence vote like that would cause an uproar.
Playing devil's advocate here. If the EPL brings foreign officials into England three or four times a year, then how often will Collina actually referee? If he's retired from Italian professional soccer, then I can't see how he will remain sharp enough to do EPL games at a high level. This is just another reason why the retirement age of 45 for referees is a joke. You can't tell me a 46-year-old Collina still couldn't referee any worse than some of the other, younger European referees. I say that as long as the referee can pass the fitness test and keeps getting good assessments, he/she should referee as long as he/she likes.
Hmmm. Interesting. Assuming that Collina doesn't just want to retire and spend his "old age" (46, C'mon!) at the beach, why wouldn't just move to England, make the request, and work full time? I've always had the impression that Collina likes the spotlight and with the EPL quickly overtaking the other European leagues as the most cosmopolitan league on the planet, it seems like a natural to me. Jarrett
He has a job outside refereeing. Only the England officials are "professional". Moving to England would require that Collina abandon both his occupation and his country. It's highly doubtful and defeats the purpose of having foreigners come for specific high profile matches. This new article either renders the original release from the FA pointless, or it is just a bit of gossip with no basis in reality.