Japanese referee's blunder steals Brazil's thunder

Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura who is in the spotlight for 'inventing' Brazil's second goal against Croatia

Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura who is in the spotlight for 'inventing' Brazil's second goal against Croatia

Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura

. The Japanese referee in the eye of the storm, Yuichi Nishimura, has been an international referee since 2004, and has officiated in several tournaments including the 2010 World Cup.

. At the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, he was shoved by Angolan players during an ill-tempered quarter-final with Egypt but failed to send any of them off.

. In 2010, Congolese fans incandescent at his performance in a Club World Cup game took rather misguided revenge by vandalising a Chinese restaurant in their country.

. And although twice voted by the J-League as its referee of the year, he has long been controversial among Japanese fans, not least for his reputation for awarding dubious penalties.

A night of blunders
. Nishimura should arguably have shown Neymar a straight red card for elbowing Luka Modric in the face a minute before the Brazilian scored his first goal.

. The 42-year-old disallowed a Croatian goal in the 88th minute when the score was still 2-1 in Brazil’s favour.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!