 The main discussions to be overhead in the hostelries of Germany at the moment seem to be all about the referees rather than the football, and I’m sure the same can be said around the world.
As a former player, I have been shocked by the number of unjust cards dished out in the tournament so far. But I suppose I should have realised before the tournament started that it was going to happen.
Referees’ chief Keith Hackett made it clear that any official who failed to adhere to FIFA’s eight-point hit list would be straight on a plane home. With ‘Big Brother’ watching, it’s little wonder that anything and everything the players do is being met with at least a booking.
I do feel sorry for some of the refs, particularly Mr Ivanov who was unfortunate enough to be assigned the Portugal-Holland game earlier this week.
It was all out war on that pitch as the players went out of control and I hope we never see another game with anything like the 16 yellow cards and 4 reds dished out.
The players were out of order and I, for one, felt sorry for Mr Ivanov, who had no chance of controlling proceedings.
Until FIFA president Sepp Blatter clamps down on the cheats and the divers who are slowly taking over the game, referees like Ivanov will continue to buckle under the pressure.
It’s about time Blatter spoke to people within football to sort this problem out instead of leaving it to men in suits who haven’t got the first clue.
I can’t stand to see a player trying to con a referee in to sending off a fellow pro by feigning injury, and this World Cup has been riddled with examples. The knock-on effects can be seen on playing fields up and down the country as young kids watch it and think cheating is the norm.
There needs to be a return to a common-sense approach to the laws of the game or we’ll be seeing the stars of the future pick up more cards than Portugal and Holland.
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