World Cup referee Yuichi Nishimura has shrugged off the controversy that surrounded his decision to award Brazil a penalty in the tournament¡¯s opening game, but admitted that being a referee is no easy task.
Nishimura made global headlines for all the wrong reasons following his performance in Brazil¡¯s June 12 opener against Croatia in Sao Paulo, where he gave the hosts a second-half penalty with the score at 1-1 after ruling that Croatian defender Dejan Lovren had pulled down Brazilian striker Fred in the box.
Neymar duly converted from the spot as Brazil went on to claim a 3-1 win, leaving Nishimura to face the fury of the beaten Croatians and millions of irate fans worldwide.
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