EUROSCENEThis is a tale of two referees, Italian Pierluigi Collina and Ecuadorean Aldemar Byron Ruales Moreno. You might be tempted to call Collina the "Good Ref" and Moreno the "Bad Ref".
What is true, however, is that their combined activities of the last week underline the unwelcome truth that, in today's FootBiz, referees are destined to become ever less silent supporting actors in the drama of the beautiful game.
Collina needs little introduction. His bald pate and penetrating starehave made him the most easily identified referee on the planet.
Last week he received honours from both home and abroad. Firstly, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics awarded him the title of best referee in the world following a poll of journalists and footballers.
Then Collina was nominated a "Commendatore Della Repubblica" by Italian State President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi - a nomination roughly equivalent to receiving an OBE in the British Honours List.
Third, but not least, Collina was last week summoned to handlethe top of the table clash in France between Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Marseilles (won 1-0 by Lyon, by the way).
Forty-two-year-old Collina's handling of the game was, as so often, impeccable.
However, the match had been preceded by an incident that is nothing if not a sign of the times. French Pay TV channel Canal Plus had been keen for Collina to handle the game wearing a microphone and earphones through which he could communicate with his two French assistant referees.
Collina, having never used such equipment, was understandably cautious about trying it out in the context of such a big game.
Thus, after a quick phone call to FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Collina opted out of the experiment.
Canal Plus had, of course, wanted to record all the communications between Collina and his assistants, probably broadcasting the most interesting bits at half-time and after the match. On this occasion, the requirements of the TV industry were denied, but next time?
In the meantime, Collina is the first to admit that his notoriety is becoming a problem. Not only is he much sought after by other football federations, but this week alone he has been invited to receive an award in Bologna, another in Camaiore and then appear on nationwide TV on three consecutive nights.
Mind you, notoriety has its compensations. Being the most wanted referee around means that Collina earned an estimated €400,000 last year between Italian and international match fees and his various advertising contracts (with Lorenz watches, Addidas sportswear and Tele Piu TV).
Moreno would probably love to earn such money. No longer active as a referee (he has been removed from the FIFA list), Moreno was, of course, the man who handled Italy's infamous World Cup elimination at the hands of South Korea last year.
Ever since, he has become a cult figure in Italy and usually one of derision since many (shortsighted?) Italian fans are convinced he was a prime cause of Italy's premature departure from the World Cup.
So, there was referee Moreno on prime time TV last week, being doused with a ritualistic bag of water by way of belated retribution for his dastardly deeds last summer.
We are glad to report that audience ratings for the programme were poor. The majority of Italian football fans knows better.
From Italian TV to Olympique Lyonnais, the logic of FootBiz does not rule all the (air) waves - yet.
