Germany Coach Joachim Low has called for his players to be protected in their World Cup semi-final against Brazil.
The 54-year-old is concerned that the host nation will attempt to shackle his team’s attacking players and wants Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez to keep a close eye on events.
"You have to protect the players, the attackers, when you're a referee," Low told reporters. "That's something that's important for everyone working in football.
Germany Coach Joachim Low has called for his players to be protected in their World Cup semi-final against Brazil.
The 54-year-old is concerned that the host nation will attempt to shackle his team’s attacking players and wants Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez to keep a close eye on events.
"You have to protect the players, the attackers, when you're a referee," Low told reporters. "That's something that's important for everyone working in football.
"The physical energy in the match [Brazil’s match] against Colombia went beyond the limits. If it had been in Europe, there's no way that all 22 would have ended that game.
"There were brutal fouls. People blocking opponents however they could. It was really exaggerated.
"That's what we saw on the pitch, so I hope these really brutal and crude fouls are stopped, or we won't see players like Messi, Ozil or Neymar, and we'll just see players who go out to destroy.
"Brazil will unleash all its passion on us, emotional and physical. This is obvious. It's happened in previous matches.
"In this stadium, any attack will be accompanied by tremendous noise from their fans. What we have to do is concentrate and be courageous about doing our jobs."