Historically, referees have been the most disliked people on the pitch: they periodically make mistakes that can seriously affect the course and outcome of a match. The chant ‘Sell your whistle, buy glasses’ has equivalents in all languages of the world, for example, the English ‘The ref needs specs’.
However, even in such a thankless profession, great stars have risen. In this article, Sportmaster Media tells the story of six football referees who became undisputed authorities in their field, even despite the occasional mistake.
Sándor Puhl
The Hungarian received his FIFA referee title in 1988. In addition to his native language, Puhl was fluent in German, Italian and English, which allowed him to work at tournaments around the world.
Puhl made his debut on the world stage in the 1990s, when he began working at UEFA Cup and Champions League matches. In 1993, he refereed his first UEFA Cup final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus (3-1).
1994 was the peak of Puhl's career. He was selected as the head referee for the World Cup final in the United States between Brazil and Italy. The match ended in a goalless draw, and the Latin American team won the post-match penalty shootout 3:2. After this tournament, Poule was named the world's best referee by the IFFHS for four consecutive years (1994–1997).
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Tofik Bakhramov
In his youth, the Azerbaijani was a footballer and played for the Baku club Neftchi, but a serious leg injury forced him to retrain as a referee.
Bakhramov made his international debut in 1964. Quickly gaining authority, he became the second Soviet referee to officiate at the World Cup. Tofik refereed two matches at the highest level. After that, Nikolai Latyshev, who was already 53, lobbied for his Azerbaijani colleague to referee the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany.
During the match, there was a moment that has been called ‘the refereeing decision of the century.’ At the match, which took place at Wembley Stadium, Bakhramov served as a linesman.
In the 101st minute of extra time (the main match ended 2-2), England striker Geoffrey Hurst took a shot — the ball bounced off the crossbar and fell near the goal line. The question of whether the ball had crossed the line was controversial, but the referee, after consulting with linesman Bakhramov, pointed to the centre of the field, awarding the goal. England won 4-2 and won the Cup.
Bakhramov received the FIFA Golden Whistle, the first ever awarded to a linesman in World Cup history.
Pierluigi Collina
In his youth, the Bologna native was a footballer, playing as a centre-back, but without much success. In 1977, Collina enrolled in a refereeing course and has not been without his whistle since.
At the end of 1986, due to his appearance — alopecia led to the loss of all his hair — Italian refereeing authorities did not allow Collina to referee in professional leagues. But after reforms in the refereeing corps, the situation changed, and in 1991 he officiated his first match in Serie A.
On 10 March 1997, after a match between Inter and Juventus, Pierluigi held a press conference to explain his controversial decision to disallow a goal by the Turin team. It was a groundbreaking move that later became common practice in world football.
Collina refereed the 1998/99 Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, one of the most dramatic matches in football history, when the English side, who had been losing since the sixth minute, scored two goals in added time to snatch victory. Collina handled the match brilliantly, earning the respect of both clubs. After the match, Pierluigi consoled the German club's players:
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