Defending the third team - referees not so bad

I've read several comments criticizing the referees. When a person with the prestige of a Franz Beckenbauer says that the referees have been too influential in the games, it sounds like a truism.

Having watched all but two matches so far, I can say that with a few exceptions Herr Beckenbauer couldn't be more wrong.

There haven't been any boring games that I've seen so far. No dour, defensive games. Instead, something like one-third of all goals have been scored in the final 15 minutes of a match. This is something that can only be accomplished if players are afraid to foul.

When players get tired, they get careless. It's simply human nature, no matter the physical conditioning of the player. And when players get careless, fouls have a way of happening.
If the referee has established the criteria of what constitutes a foul early in the game, players know what they can get away with. Clearly, most players do not feel that they are going to get away with crap.

Proof? The fact that so many goals have been scored late in the game. If a defender is afraid to concede a foul because the referee has demonstrated that he will make the necessary calls, then defenders have to actually play rather than cynically foul an attacker. This will then increase the chances an attacker has to score.

OR -- the tired defender does concede the cynical foul. The referees have demonstrated that they are going to make the calls, and those free kicks have resulted in opportunities from within scoring range. Either way, the fact that the referees have not permitted cynical, defensive play to flourish is completely in line with FIFA's desire to see more positive play.

From an attacking viewpoint, the 2006 World Cup has so far been one of the best tournaments ever. So keep it up, referees.

And shut up, Franz.