Wednesday 31 March 2021, 10:22

Watch Living Football featuring Collina and Wenger

The fourth episode of Living Football focuses on two men who are using experience gained at the pinnacle of world football to shape the future of the game at FIFA.

Arsene Wenger served Arsenal for 22 years between 1996 and 2018. He is the most successful manager in the club’s history. In November 2019, 'Le Professeur' joined FIFA as the new Chief of Global Football Development, responsible for driving the global growth and development of the sport for men and women.

He is also a member of the Football and Technical Advisory Panels involved in The IFAB’s review and decision-making process on potential changes to the Laws of the Game, and his role also includes a particular focus on coach education.

In the latest episode of the show he explains his thoughts on Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR), the current debate around offside decisions, how technology could make decisions faster, as well as his memories of his time in North London, including of course The Invincibles season.

Pierluigi Collina at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018

The second guest is a man who is equally recognisable around the globe. In a 17-year career, Pierluigi Collina rose to become widely acclaimed as the world’s best referee. He refereed the finals of the Olympics, UEFA Champions League, UEFA EURO, and, in 2002, the FIFA World Cup™.

The Italian, now Chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee, shares memories of his time on the pitch, his role overseeing the development of officials at FIFA’s elite competitions and his views on the rise of female officials, following the appointment of an all-female trio at the recent FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020™.

Episode four also travels to Mexico to see how FIFA’s COVID-19 Relief Fund has been used to help women’s football continue through the pandemic.