Collina ready for fund-raiser

By Pete Sanderson

Italy's Pierluigi Collina has admitted he felt honoured to be asked to referee the FIFA/UEFA Football for Hope match at FC Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on Tuesday 15 February.

Relief effort
Collina, who was speaking at the 13th UEFA Advanced Course for Elite and Premier Referees, will take charge of the game which has been organised by the world and European football bodies to raise funds for the relief effort following the tsunami disaster in south and Southeast Asia.

'Real honour'
"It is an absolute honour to be chosen to participate in a game of such importance," the Italian official told uefa.com. "It is a tragedy which has shocked the world but it has been wonderful to see how everybody worldwide has come together to try and offer their support to the people involved. I think this match represents the perfect way for fans and players in our sport to help out. "

Top referees
Collina is one of the world's top referees and took charge of the 2002 FIFA World Cup final. It is not the first time he has offered his help in raising money for a worthy cause. Last year, he acted as an ambassador for the joint campaign by UEFA and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to highlight the plight of children in war.

Host of stars
The game, which will kick off at 21.00CET, will feature a host of stars from all over the world. One of the sides will be led by Barcelona forward Ronaldinho and the other by AC Milan and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko. Barcelona are providing their stadium and facilities free of charge for the match, which Collina believes is the perfect opportunity for football to offer its support to the tsunami victims.

Joyful sport
"Football is a joyful sport and I just hope that the money we raise from the event will help to bring some happiness back to the lives of those who have suffered, those who are suffering and those who will suffer as a result of the tsunami tragedy," added Collina. "It will be an emotional occasion and a match I will never forget."

Asian assistants
FIFA has confirmed Collina's assistant referees for the match will be Mohamed Saeed (Maldives) and Jason Joseph Damoo (Seychelles).

Ticket details
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