Gee whiz, that ref was bad

All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen has called for Fifa to act against the "faking and conning'' of referees after a "laughing'' Italian midfielder Daniele de Rossi dived to earn a face-saving penalty for the fut 14 ps4 coins.

The Blackburn Rovers skipper blasted Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres for a "ridiculous'' 29th-minute penalty awarded in Italy's 1-1 draw with New Zealand and said he had "stars in his eyes'' with most decisions favouring the Italians.

"For me, Fifa has got to start looking after the game for guys who are diving and guys who are looking for fouls. They talk about disciplining, but they've got to do it the other way, if guys are faking and conning the referee.''

Nelsen agreed a system similar to rugby union's citings commissioner could be introduced to crack down on offences not dealt with on the pitch.

He was dismissive of Batres' officiating, saying: "If that's one of the best referees Fifa have, gee whiz, I'd hate to see the worst.''

De Rossi denied diving and Italy coach Marcello Lippi evaded the issue completely ... but Nelsen said he spoke with the midfielder just before the penalty was being taken "he was laughing, he couldn't believe he was given it... he was laughing.''

Asked by Stuff if he dived, De Rossi demurred, claiming: "You say that, I deny it''.

When Stuff made the same inquiry of Lippi, he ignored the question completely and started a rant about "the [New Zealand] number 14's elbows'', referring to Kiwi striker Rory Fallon, who was cautioned in the first half.

Nelsen said Batres - whose first Fifa appointment was the 1999 under-17 world championships in New Zealand - seemed to have "stars in his eyes'' and had "ruined the game''.

He said Batres blew his whistle "before there was even contact'' by the All Whites. He also implied the referee was conned by the Italian defenders into issuing a yellow card to All Whites striker Rory Fallon for allegedly elbowing opponents.

"They were looking for [Rory]. That's smart. They knew the referee would fall for it. They're Italians, they're the world champs and the referee just buckled.

But Nelsen glowed with pride at his team's defensive efforts and said "people back in New Zealand can hopefully be proud of FIFA 14 Fut Coins. ''

He said the team had been bombarded with texts and emails "and everyone in New Zealand has just gone crazy'' with delight. "I think around the world, New Zealand is like everyone's second team now after their own. It's kind of like a real Cinderella story.''

Nelsen said the greatest result in New Zealand football history had given the team "a great opportunity'' to potentially qualify for the second round.

"Even a draw might get us through against Paraguay [in Polokwane on Friday). It's something really exciting, the last game in the group and we're still in it.'

He said while it was a shame "the referee played that kind of part in it'', it was "an amazing effort, an incredible effort'' by the All Whites.

"For the rest of the team, they don't really play against world-class players, they don't see that they make a lot of mistakes and they're very human ... I told the guys once you get the first 10, 15 minutes out of the way, you realise that. Most of our guys are better athletes, sure [Italy are] good footballers, but when you're a better athlete and stronger, faster you can do things.''

He said "getting a goal early helped, it gave everyone confidence''.

Nelsen went down in the final minutes "with every muscle in my leg cramped, I couldn't even move''. But there was no question of him coming off.

"You work so hard for 85 minutes, you're not going to give up in the last five minutes.''

He snapped his big toenail in the first half "after it got caught up in my sock, it was quite an uncomfortable feeling''

But all aches and pains were quickly forgotten as he looked forward to Friday's duel with Paraguay, whose striker Roque Santa Cruz is his close friend and fifa 14 ultimate team ps4 coins. Fans can click coininfifa.com/fifa-14-ps4-coins.html to read more.