The referees will be given an eight-point list of the worst offences to crack down on, including diving, elbowing, over-the-top tackles, mass dissent and time-wasting.

Blatter said: “We have enough referees so if one does not behave really well there are replacements available.

“They can make an error but not an error about the protection of the players - they will be immediately sent to another level because we have to ensure the referees are focused at this World Cup.”

Meanwhile, FIFA and German organisers have yet to settle on how tickets should be checked by fans going to matches.

The German interior ministry is adamant that all tickets should be checked against ID to ensure that the person matches the name on the ticket. FIFA fear that such a system is unworkable and would lead to huge delays and possibly crowd problems.

In another development, every player, official and referee in the World Cup will have to sign a written pledge that they will not bet on the tournament.

The game’s world governing body have also set up a special ’early warning system’ organisation to monitor any suspicious gambling patterns at this summer’s finals in Germany.

Blatter added: “There will be special instructions to all the referees, linesmen, players, coaches and official delegations in the World Cup.

“They will have to sign a paper saying that they will never, themselves or their families, be involved in betting on the World Cup or any other problems.”

The early warning system will see FIFA officials work with big bookmakers and betting markets to track gambling patterns on matches.