World Cup: FIFA official wants rough play curbed

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The head of FIFA’s medical committee wants World Cup referees to get tougher on rough play during the rest of the tournament.

Michel D’Hooghe said in an interview with the Associated Press that there were several tackles and elbows thrown during the group stage that could easily have broken a jaw or a leg.

‘We could have had another [Marcin] Wasilewski,’ D’Hooghe said, referring to the Polish international who lost almost a full season after a vicious foul broke both bones in his leg last August.

D’Hooghe also said he was unhappy that some elbowing resulted only in bookings and not an automatic red card.

He said he had approached Angel Maria Villar Llona, the head of FIFA’s Referee Committee, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter to make sure referees would be tough on such actions in the knockout rounds.

‘Overall, the refereeing is good, but it could be improved on the issues I raised,’ D’Hooghe said.

D’Hooghe has long called for tougher sanctioning of violent fouls. And that seems o have had an effect at this World Cup. While exact statistics are not yet available, D’Hooghe said, ‘we have seen less injuries than at other World Cups.’

‘Our prevention campaigns have worked,’ he said. ‘And I have also seen an improvement of fair play on the pitch.’

D’Hooghe also said all doping tests were negative so far.

-- Kevin Baxter in Rustenburg, South Africa