Johannesburg - The FIFA World Cup in South Africa has produced fewer injuries and red cards which mean players were generally "well-behaved", FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.
"What this is telling us is that the players were respectful to each other," Blatter said at press conference, much to the disapproval of a few journalists.
But if statistics are anything to go by, Blatter's observation could be well correct. After 61 matches played in South Africa, 229 yellow cards were issued while 16 players got red cards. On the other hand in Germany 2006 after 64 matches, the referees issued 307 yellow cards and 28 red cards.
It is therefore highly unlikely that 78 yellow cards and 12 red cards could be produced in the last two matches of this year's World Cup.
Blatter also said up to 500 doping tests were performed for the 2010 World Cup with 250 tests conducted by FIFA in South Africa while the remaining 250 was done by the associations at different countries prior to the tournament.
Meanwhile, FIFA is expected to give a full account of how much the hosting of the World Cup has cost South Africa. The football governing body is projecting record revenue for the tournament, with speculation that commercial partners will generate about $3.2 billion. South Africa's economy will benefit an estimated R39 billion from hosting the event.
