Fred de Jong: Sudden death with the ref as hangman

From now on there is no second chance. A bad day means going home. The added pressure that brings is having its effect not only on players and coaches but also the officials.

The three second-round matches I have seen have each been memorable for different reasons but they have one thing in common. The refereeing has had a decisive influence on the match.

As a contest, the Germany-Sweden match had lost all its interest after just 30 minutes. Two Lucas Podolski goals had rocked Sweden and then the Brazilian referee decided to knock them to the canvas. He somehow found a second bookable offence in an innocuous challenge by Swedish defender Teddy Lucic.

From that moment the result was beyond doubt and spoiled the match as a spectacle for any neutrals in the stadium or viewing around the world. For the almost 66,000 German supporters inside the arena this made no difference. It was their support that made this an experience not to forget.

The German people now truly believe that they can win this World Cup. With each success on the field, the support off it becomes more ardent. Inside the arena against Sweden, the mass of German support was at times breathtaking.

Sweden were awarded a penalty midway through the second half. As Henrik Larson stood waiting to take his spot kick, the noise and whistling was ear-splitting. The hostility directed at the Swede was visceral. History will show his nerve failed him. Being there, I can fully understand why.

If ever there was a match destroyed by a referee it was the Holland-Portugal game. Russian referee Valentin Ivanov whistled the game into oblivion. Sixteen yellow cards and four reds ensued as he booked anything with boots on.

Yes, the players must shoulder some responsibility for the acting, diving and brutality they displayed. But it is the referee who sets the rules. In many regards, footballers are like small children. They will take as much rope as you give them. They need clearly defined limits. Ivanov gave them none. Chaos was the order of the day.

Again, this completely spoiled the match for the spectators. There was virtually no football played in the second half as the game lurched from one fracas to the next.

Even more disturbing is that the fallout from Ivanov's decisions do not end there.

Now Portugal must face England without two key players, Costinho and playmaker Deco. They also have another five players on yellow cards.

The third second-round match involved Italy in a potentially tricky tie against Australia. Again the referee's influence played too great a part in the outcome. First the sending off of Marco Materazzi changed the entire complexion of the game as Italy sat back and played counter-attacking football.

And then the penalty in the dying seconds looked to be a soft decision.

Fifa has made much of the training it has given the referees before the tournament. From what I have seen the referees would do better to worry less about strutting around trying to look in control and do more to manage the match and keep both sides with 11 players on the pitch.

The spectators want to see a contest decided by artistry on the field by the world's best players. Watching players getting marched does nothing for the game or the tournament.

* Former All White Fred de Jong is in Germany.