Italy's players seem to be enjoying the new, lighter approach from referees at this tournament. They appear to be using it to their advantage.

Andy Townsend was right in Friday's Sportsmail to highlight the 'dark arts' tactics employed by the Azzurri, especially noticeable at set-pieces when they hold opponents and block runs.

Foul play: Italy's Federico Balzaretti, left, with a uncoventional tackle on Ireland's Aiden McGeady

I refereed Italy v Croatia at a major tournament - just like Howard Webb did in Poznan on June 14. Mine was a 2002 World Cup match, which Croatia won 2-1.

So much went on that my assistant was confused as to what was a foul and what was not.
He disallowed an Italian goal for holding - replays later showed the offence was the other way round!

Incredibly there has only been one penalty and only three red cards in the first 25 games in Ukraine and Poland, despite plenty of offences usually worthy of punishment.

Teams will be well aware of this as the players seek any advantage they can to progress.
Weak refereeing, while popular with spectators in the short term, does lead to issues throughout the game over the longer term.

Don't be surprised if we see some controversial incidents in the latter stages.