“Quarter-final and semi-final matches are usually harder to officiate than the final and the third and fourth placing matches,” said fellow World Cup referee, Malaysian Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh to the-afc.com.

He said a referee would have to think many times before issuing a card during the last 16 and last eight games.

“Players have a certain mentality when playing in the last 16 and quarter-finals, where their aim is to reach the final.

“Not only that - they also aim to survive the current match without being issued a card. They want to get to play in the next match, the final, if their team gets that far.

“If players get issued a red card in these stages, they will miss the action of the next match, which could be the semi-finals or final,” said the schoolteacher, who was among four Asian referees chosen to officiate in South Africa.

In the last 16 and quarter-final rounds, a referee has to make his decisions carefully so that a future match remains competitive and exciting.

On the other hand, a referee does not have to make such considerations in the final match.

“A referee can give as many cards as he thinks proper. His decisions have no effect on future matches because there are no more matches after the final.

“So, the semi-final between the Netherlands and Uruguay could be the toughest World Cup match for Irmatov”.

However, Subkhiddin is confident that the Uzbek, whom he said is an outstanding referee from this continent, will be able to carry out his job well.

“I’m sure he will do his job with excellence.

“Irmatov opened the Word Cup 2010 by refereeing the tournament’s inaugural match between South Africa and Mexico.

“I hope he gets to be the man in the middle for the final game this Sunday,” said Subkhididn.

Irmatov will equal the record for number of matches in charge in a single FIFA World Cup when he takes charge of the Netherlands-Uruguay semi-final.

It will be his fifth match of the 2010 tournament, equaling the 2006 records of Mexican Benito Archundia and Argentina’s Horacio Elizonda, who refereed the final between Italy and France.