THROUGHOUT this year's World Cup, the referees have come in for some heavy flak, but just how badly have the referees actually performed?

Incidents such as the dishing out of three yellow cards to the same player from our very own Graham Poll, and the staggering 16 yellow cards and four reds during the Holland and Portugal match, certainly haven't helped their cause.

However, it would appear that they have begun to seriously clamp down on foul play, which possibly isn't such a bad thing.

Ultimately, more cards and sendings off are bound to be shown as we have seen throughout this World Cup but, in the long run, this could lead to less dangerous play and far fewer injuries caused by bad challenges.

It is perhaps unfair to put so much of the blame on the referees for the many cards which have been shown during the tournament as they are under heavy scrutiny from FIFA to try to eradicate foul play and punish certain incidents with yellow cards which would have previously just received a warning.

In particular, referees have been asked to punish lunging tackles, the use of elbows and the delaying of play.

As a result, the referees have come in for mass criticism where it should probably be directed at FIFA, which is why I believe they have been unfairly blamed.

The referees have been acting under the orders of FIFA and so they are merely carrying out their instructions.

There are of course many examples of poor refereeing decisions but this is part and parcel of the game and apart from the Graham Poll incident I believe the referees have largely done a decent job in this tournament.

Agree? Disagree?
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