BERLIN, July 3: Referees have shown an average of more than five yellow and red cards per match at the World Cup finals, compared with less than two at the 1982 tournament, according to FIFA.

So far in Germany, and with four matches still to play, referees have brandished a record 293 yellow cards in 60 matches and 27 reds, also a record for the finals.

In Spain in 1982, some 98 yellows and just five red cards were shown in 52 games.

In contrast to the rash of cards, there has been a dearth of goals. If less than four goals are scored in the last four games, the tournament will go down as the lowest scoring ever.

So far, 138 goals have been scored for an average of 2.30 per match. The only tournament with a lower average was Italy 1990 when 115 goals were scored in 52 games for an average of 2.21.

On the brighter side, attendances are higher than at any finals apart from in 1994 in the United States.

Some 3.11 million spectators have seen the games in Germany, an average of 51,791 per match.

At the US an average of 69,991 spectators watched the games, a figure FIFA regards as unbeatable because of the size of American stadiums.—Reuters