Blatter slams ‘erratic’ Cup referees

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has launched a fierce attack on the standard on refereeing at the World Cup.

He said: “FIFA owes it to itself, in its own flagship competition, to send out the best referees.

“Instead, I’ve noted that instructions aren’t being followed consistently from one match to another.

“When a coach complains to me that shirt-pulling earned his player a yellow card one night and nothing for his team’s group rivals the next, how am I supposed to respond?

“And then there are the tackles from behind I’ve seen go unpunished and the violent conduct that has escaped sanction, not to mention the serious errors made in applying the rules.”