I've been a World Cup official - I promise you there is no favouritism

I've been a World Cup official - I promise you there is no favouritismImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lionel Messi is set to line up for Argentina against Spain in Sunday's World Cup finalByDarren Cann2010 World Cup final assistant refereePublished2 minutes agoAccording to many fans, social media timelines and corners of the internet, Fifa wants Argentina and Lionel Messi to win the World Cup - and the officials are all in on it. As referees, we are forced to deal with the idea that we are part of some kind of conspiracy theory all the time.And it is nonsense. I can't stress this strongly enough.I was lucky enough to be an assistant referee at two World Cups, in 2010 and 2014, as part of a team which featured referee Howard Webb, with Michael Mullarkey running the other line.We were independent, and we made our own decisions. I can assure you this has not changed.The referees are from all four corners of the globe, all from different football associations, separate confederations, and Fifa effectively borrows their services for six weeks.They are completely distinct from Fifa, in a separate training camp.I'm sorry to disappoint any conspiracy theorists, but I can promise you there aren't any clandestine meetings between Fifa's executive committee and the referees.We don't see any of the suits at all.You are basically working every day - physical training, watching clips, debriefing the matches from the previous day.They are full-on days. There's not a lot of downtime, and once you have completed one assignment, you are preparing for the next one.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Darren Cann, right, was part of the officiating team for the 2010 final alongside Referee Howard Webb and fellow assistant Michael MullarkeyThe suggestion that referees are in on some kind of masterplan to make sure Messi gets to the final is just not true, obviously.There is, apparently, a rumour that Fifa wanted an Argentina v Spain f...