Retired Italian referee Pierluigi Collina is to continue his role as head of Ukraine’s refereeing department after signing a three-year contract extension, the country's football federation said Wednesday.
Collina refereed the 2002 World Cup final, as well as the 1999 Champions League final and 2004 UEFA Cup final, before retiring in 2005.
He became head of the Ukrainian refereeing department in 2010 on a two-year deal with a mandate to reform the country’s refereeing operations, and combines the post with a similar role at UEFA.
“The UFF has extended the contracts with Collina and his assistant Luciano Lucci until the end of the 2014-15 season,” the Ukrainian Football Federation said on its website.
Collina had been offered a new contract in February, but negotiations had dragged on until May, the federation added.
After Collina was appointed in Ukraine, the Russian Football Union hired his compatriot Roberto Rosetti for a similar role in Russia.
