PRETORIA, South Africa – The World Cup’s worst referees were sent packing on Tuesday as soccer’s governing body tried to cut down on the glaring errors that have plagued the tournament.

Koman Coulibaly, the referee who gained notoriety for controversially denying the United States a potential game-winning goal against Slovenia in the group stage, was sent back to Mali without having refereed another match since his glaring mistake.

The 10 referees deemed to be the worst in the tournament have been excluded from the final list of elite officials who will be in contention to take charge of the all-important quarter-final rounds onward.

All 10 packed up their things from the secret refereeing base near Pretoria – where the officials have lived in isolation since the start of the World Cup.

Agencies