Collina quits

By European Football
August 29 2005

The famous bald head and bulging eyes of Italian referee Pierluigi Collina will not be seen an more in Italy's Serie A after he blew the final whistle on his career and quit the Italian Association of Referees (AIA) today.

He had been accused of a conflict of interests by the AIA after accepting an 800,000 euro deal with car manufacturers Opel, who also sponsor AC Milan.

"After 28 years I've decided to hand in my resignation to AIA," Collina was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency ANSA.

"I can't help it. People must believe in a referee. In the end, we have all lost out," he told a news conference in his home town of Viareggio.