• Fernanda Colombo Ulina is a 28 year old former soccer referee, model, writer and sports journalist.
• She attained a degree in Physical Education and is followed by 530,000 people on Instagram.
• Fernanda has had a successful career as a model and sports journalist, and has even covered the Women's World Cup in 201•
• Her husband, Sandro Ricci, is a 45 year old retired football referee and a TV analyst for Globo.
• Sandro has appeared in several TV series, including "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil", "Fox Sports: Copa Libertadores" and "Altas Horas".
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Fernanda Colombo Ulina Short Bio
Fernanda Colombo Ulina was born on 24 April 1991, in Brazil, which means that her zodiac sign is Taurus and she’s 28 years old. Colombo, Brazilian by nationality, is best known as a former soccer referee, model, writer and sports journalist, who attracted the attention of the wider audience when she was offered work as an escort.
Personal Life
Fernanda isn’t open to sharing details regarding her formative years, but we do know that she attained a degree in Physical Education, and some information can be found on her Instagram page, followed by 530,000 people.
She often shares sports-related photos, and her views on football games.
Career
Colombo began her career as a model, and went on to appear in several commercials as well as in photoshoots. Subsequently, she became involved with sports journalism, and served as a football flagship. Some of her projects include covering the Women’s World (soccer) Cup in 2014. Reportedly, Fernanda has always loved football, but seeing that she wasn’t successful as a player, she decided to turn to refereeing.
She spoke about the issues and obstacles that she faces, being one of few renowned women on that side of her sport. In one interview she said that if she wasn’t good she wouldn’t be where she is right now, and many agreed with her. Passionate about writing, Fernanda has her own sports column on the website entitled Metropoles.
What Does a Football Referee Do?
In football, the referee is the person required to reinforce the Laws of the Game during a match.
Usually, referees have two assistants whose job is to advise the main referee, but at higher competitive levels, the main referee may be assisted by four or even more people, in addition to having video assistant referees. To become a referee, one must be trained and licensed by certain organizations. Their salary can vary as well, and are based on the country they live in, as well as their experience. More skilled referees have the honor of being included on FIFA’s list, (Federation of International Football Federations).
Football referees have a special uniform – jersey, badge, shorts and socks. The uniform has changed through decades but usually, the color of the uniform is dark, unless the color of a team is dark too: in that case, the referee usually wears red. At this moment, FIFA’s referees wear Adidas uniforms – the brand is their sponsor. The referees are allowed to wear five colors – black, red, yellow, green and blue.
Scandals
Although Fernanda lives a peaceful lifestyle and isn’t often the centre of attention, she was a subject of a controversy due to a sexual proposal that happened to her in 2018.
During one game, she teased Barcelona’s player Kitu Díaz, pulling him over and reaching for a tissue to wipe her eyebrow, instead of a yellow card. In the following days, she received an email from a person who offered her a “meeting with clients” for 1,600 Euros per encounter. Disgusted, the referee shared the screenshot of the email on her social media, and was met with understanding and support. “I want to tell the world that I just want to do what I love, which means working with football and journalism.
Please respect that”, Fernanda said, adding that she felt like “trash” having read the email. She has spoken about stigma surrounding her profession and gender roles, and often points out that she’s a hard worker and is solely responsible for her success.
Husband Sandro Ricci
Fernanda maintains a low profile in her private life, but we do know that she’s married to fellow football referee Sandro Ricci. It isn’t known when exactly the couple began dating, but they announced their engagement on live TV in 2018.
Their supporters can take a closer look at their relationship thanks to numerous YouTube videos they have been featured in.
Sandro Meira Ricci was born on 19 November 1974 in Brazil, so his zodiac sign is Scorpio, and he is 45 years of age, which means that he’s 17 years Fernanda’s senior. He is best known as a retired football referee, with some of his most prominent achievements being added to FIFA’s 2013 referee list for the World Cup, serving as the Brazilian referee at the mentioned event in 2014, assisted by Emerson de Carvalho and Marcelo Van Gasse.
In a match between Honduras and France, he was the first referee in the world to validate a goal by the new means of goal line technology. He was Brazil’s referee in 2018 once again during FIFA World Cup held in Russia, after which Sandro announced that he’d be retiring. He currently works as a football rules and refereeing analyst for Globo.
Sandro Meira Ricci pede mudanças no VAR ao chefe de arbitragem da CBF, Leonardo Gaciba: "É preciso recuar e começar do zero". pic.twitter.com/h9r4Tg1C3N
— globoesportecom (de ?) (@globoesportecom) August 12, 2019
Sandro Ricci TV Appearances
Sandro’s TV work includes “2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil”, “Fox Sports: Copa Libertadores”, “2018 FIFA World Cup Russia”, and “Altas Horas”. The latter series, hosted by Serginho Groisman, focuses on weekly debates on important topics, and features opinions from the audience, as well as other TV personalities and artists.
