Baker said: “I don’t think behaviour in general has got worse in the last few years but trying to get opponents in trouble with the referee is an area that is a concern.

“When a player shows a yellow card himself, the referee is perfectly in the laws to show him a card if he thinks they are trying to get an unfair advantage.

“But they are under no specific direction to do this and I don’t think we will see that because managers and referees have tried to identify the problem to players.”

Baker admits that diving is another current concern for referees and he has instructed his officials to be aware of their positioning for every foul.

“One of the things that’s been most challenging recently is simulation,” he added.

“It’s very hard to stop and the most difficult thing is to create a very good viewing angle to see the if there is contact.

“From the view of clubs, we’ve spoken to managers and shown them the films and they see the same thing. It’s a very difficult problem but there was a good response.”

FA officials make contact with clubs every summer to advise them on what issues referees will be addressing in the season.

Baker believes the relationship between Barclays Premiership teams and match officials has strengthened since referees turned professional.

“There has been an amazing improvement in the physical fitness of referees and that itself is great as it means better viewing positions meaning good decisions are bound to increase,” added Baker.

“We’re looking for consistency so players can expect a fair deal out of us from the first minute to the last – and that’s the message we’ve tried to get across.”