... the referee (in the inaugural game between Brazil and Croatia) Japan's Yuichi Nishimura, and Brazilian striker Fred, who dived for a penalty.
The former Newcastle forward expressed his dismay at the harsh price paid by Croatia: "They deserved better.
"FIFA and the referees together asked us to respect the officials and explained to us that erring is human.
"But at a World Cup the stakes are higher. And these things shouldn't happen.
"It's always frustrating to lose as a result of refereeing mistakes. I hope that doesn't happen to us.
"You can clearly see that he dived. He does it very well.
"He falls at just the right time, but Lovren didn't push him at all. If they don't catch you then you get something out of it, but if they get you, then you should be punished."
Fred has defended himself against criticism and insisted the referee was right to award Brazil a penalty against Croatia.
Fred: “It was a clear penalty. There isn’t more or less a penalty.
“FIFA told the Referees' Committee to guide the players, so that there would be no shirt-tugging in the penalty area as the referees would award penalties.
"I controlled the ball with my right foot and I was turning left when I was bumped into the shoulder, I couldn't reach the ball, lost balance and fell.
“I am not the kind of player that falls down. The same thing happened in the (friendly) game against Serbia, and even on the ground I reached the ball to score a goal.
"I heard many people saying it wasn't a penalty, but I was bumped into and that was enough to prevent me from reaching the ball and scoring.”