SAO PAULO // When Yuichi Nishimura, the Japanese referee, pointed to the spot last night, awarding Brazil a penalty and Neymar the opportunity to fire his team into a 2-1 lead, the majority of the 62,103 spectators inside Arena Corinthians celebrated. Those fortunate to have instant replays, were not so jubilant.
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It was undoubtedly a wrong decision. Fred, the Brazilian striker, went to ground easily while Dejan Lovren, the Croatian defender, looked aghast having hardly touched his opponent. In the heat of the moment, such mistakes are unavoidable and excusable. However, more worrying was the immediate reaction to the decision from those outside the ground.
Within seconds of the referee’s whistle, Brazil were being branded cheats, Nishimura was part of a conspiracy to ensure the host nation won and the entire integrity of the tournament was being questioned. It could have been a genuine mistake, but such is the negativity and skepticism surrounding Fifa at the moment that the default reaction is to suspect foul play.
In Sao Paulo this week, Fifa held its annual Congress meeting, in which the governing body’s Executive Committee voted against the implementation of age limits and term limits. The decision essentially handed Sepp Blatter, the 78 year-old president of football’s governing body, approval to run for re-election.
If Fifa is to regain any sort of credibility, Blatter must be step down from his position. Until then, every error that takes place either on the pitch or off it will be viewed through a skewed perspective. That is no way to develop the beautiful game.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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