Brazil's equaliser against Columbia generated a massive controversy after the referee allowed play to go on after he was struck by the ball. The FIFA rule is however clear and referee Nestor Pitana was correct in allowing play to continue which resulted in Brazil getting the equaliser. The FIFA law clearly says if the ball hits the referee and possession changes, then the game will be stopped and a drop ball will be used to return possession to the team originally in control of it. In the Brazil-Columbia match, a Brazilian player was trying to pass the ball when it struck the referee and landed at the feet of another Brazilian player. The possession did not change after the ball struck the referee and hence Pitana was correct in allowing the game to continue.
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