Two-time World Cup referee Agnolin has died

Luigi Agnolin, one of the most famous referees in the 80s in Italy, has died at the age of 75. He was appointed to two World Cups, 1986 and 1990, and two European finals: the 1987 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1988 Champions Cup. After his retirement as a referee, Agnolin began his career as a sports director: Rome in 1994, Venice and Verona between 1999 and 2001. In 2006, he was the AIA Special Commissioner for a few months after the outbreak of Calciopoli and the resignation of Lanese. Luigi Agnolin was inducted into the Italian Football Association's Hall of Fame in 2012.

Agnolin was one of the best Italian and international referees, with a great personality and great charisma on the field. He refereed a total of 226 Serie A matches, representing Italy at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups. He also refereed the Champions Cup Final, in 1987-88, between PSV and Benfica. He became famous for the episode of Turin-Juventus 1980, when he told Bettega, who was protesting, “vi faccio un c**o così!” that cost him a four-month suspension. 

He stopped his refereeing career in 1990 and became designator for Serie C, but in 1992 he was not re-appointed by the federal president Antonio Matarrese. He then became general manager of Rome, managing director of Venice and Verona, and in 2006 he was the Special Commissioner of the AIA, chosen by Guido Rossi to lead the Italian Referees Association after the outbreak of the Calciopoli scandal. Until August 2007 he was president of the FIGC youth and education sector, from 2011 to June 2013 general manager of Perugia. Retired to private life, he had been sick for a long time.
Speaking about the death of Luigi Agnolin, the chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina said: “Gigi was an example and an inspiration for all of us referees and as a young referee I have looked at him as a model. He was a man with a great personality and charisma on the pitch and was always regarded as a decisive and firm referee. His many colleagues in FIFA and throughout the global football community will remember him fondly and with much admiration and affection”.

Source: SportMediaset