European Football Championship 2008: Respect for statistics

Former international referee and Castrol ambassador Pierluigi Collina was at the Portuguese MotoGP in Estoril last weekend to demonstrate the bearing of motorsport data on Castrol’s Performance Index system.

Bologna-born Collina – who started refereeing at 17 “by accident” and ultimately took charge of the 2002 World Cup final – has been helping develop the Castrol innovative player performance analysis system, which will be used at the European Championships. And the crossover from motorsport is evident.

“Speaking with the MotoGP team and seeing them capturing data and analysing it shows how it helps them continually improve performances,” he told castrolindex.com. “As a referee, I used to always study the statistics of the teams I would be officiating. I’d then review the data afterwards to see how I could improve. The CPI will use data which has not otherwise been shared with football fans; by presenting it in simple graphics and tables, Castrol hopes to provide objective analysis to help fans understand the game even more.”

PREPARATION, PREPARATION, PREPARATION

The 48-year-old ex-ref didn’t always have the benefit of the statistics available in the modern game, but feels the officials this summer will reap the rewards. “Running and knowing the rules used to be enough,” he said. “These days a referee must try to find out as much information as he can when preparing for a match. How teams play, the tactics applied, the technical skills of players and their behaviour – this should eliminate the element of surprise, which can hinder a referee’s performance.” Collina insists, however, that being informed does not mean making snap judgements: “To be aware of how a player acts on the pitch does not mean being prejudiced against him.”

GIVE A LITTLE RESPECT

An absence of refereeing prejudice is key to the common respect between players and officials, and Collina hopes that Castrol’s stats can play a part in this in Austria and Switzerland. “Respect is the key word for Euro 2008,” said the Italian. “It means a lot of things – for your opponent, for yourself, for the fans. Referees should be accepted not because they are the referee, but because players trust in them. This means the referee should have the right to make mistakes, just as the players do.

“There also needs to be respect between opponents,” he concluded. “What happened to [injured Croatian striker] Eduardo is still on everyone’s mind and episodes like this [tackle] should not be allowed to happen. Respect for the other team’s players also means not taking a dive – winning a penalty in this way means having tricked the referee, so there needs to be respect for the referee and an end to theatrics on the pitch.”

(http://euro2008data.castrolindex.com/?language=en)

For more news on the European Football Championship 2008 please visit http://www.castrolindex.com

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