FIFA has rejected a German newspaper allegation that World Cup referees have been instructed to hold off from showing yellow cards to players, according to Reuters.
Tabloid newspaper Bild reported on Monday that there was a "secret arrangement" to limit the number of cards and referees who did not adhere to the accord would not be selected for further games at the tournament, Reuters reported.
The newspaper questioned if the alleged policy was partly responsible for the injury to Neymar in Brazil's quarter-final against Colombia, which produced 54 fouls and only four yellow cards, according to Reuters.
Neymar suffered a fractured vertebra following a tackle by Colombia's Juan Camilo Zuniga in the second half and has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament, Reuters reported.
"You can question and criticize the refereeing but that is not my point. To say that behind this lies a plan, to make the game more dynamic and more spectacular... that is something we cannot accept," FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio told reporters, according to Reuters. "It's totally unacceptable.
"This is important because this goes into the core of our business," Gregorio added, Reuters reported.
"Protecting the main actors (players) is the most important thing we have to do. It's only a German tabloid but it has already been reported by a few newspapers in Brazil," Gregorio said, according to Reuters. "The players are the main actors, if Neymar is not playing in the semi-finals and the final, it's not good for FIFA."
