We look at the men in the middle at Brazil 2014

From Jack Taylor in the 1974 World Cup Final to Graham Poll's three yellow cards to a player in 2006 – there is little doubt that referees can have a huge impact on the World Cup finals. It's with that in mind, Sports Interaction is providing analysis of the men in black.

The in-depth study details the performance of referees in international matches and reveals that England already have one ref they'll be keen to avoid. Turkish official Cuneyt Cakir averages over four bookings a game, but appears to have a particular liking for sending Englishmen off on the world stage.

Steven Gerrard was dismissed in the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in 2012, Gary Cahill was sent off in the same year at the World Club Cup Final and Cakir was also the man in charge when John Terry lashed out against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final. In ominous signs for Roy's boys, Cakir has already sent off two men on World Cup duty for England, albeit at junior level. Michael Mancienne and Frazier Campbell were both given their marching orders in separate games during England's 2009 U21 World Cup campaign.

Uzbekistani referee Ravshan Irmatov is the most experienced ref travelling to the finals having officiated 114 international matches. That’s three more than England's Howard Webb, the second best travelled with 111 matches. South American duo Nestor Pitana and Sandro Ricci, from Argentina and Brazil respectively, are the greenest officials, having refereed only 38 games each before the finals.

The robust style of English play always seems to irk foreign officials, so the likes of Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill will need to be especially mindful around the likes of Wilmar Roldan and Marco Rodriguez. Columbian Roldan is not only the tallest referee going to the finals, he's also the most liberal with the yellow card. In 73 international matches, he has issued 381 yellow cards at an average of over five a game.

Those England stars with a temper will be looking to steer clear of Mexican Rodriguez. The referee once described by Graham Poll as a "complete poser" is known as 'Chiqui Dracula' in Central America for his love of red cards and slick black hair. In 79 matches he has issued 51 red cards, meaning he sends a player off more than once every two games.

This year's World Cup referees appear to be especially hardened, with several having taken a blow in the line of duty. Japanese official Yuichi Nishimura caused such dismay in a game refereed in the Congo that fans went looking for post-match vengeance. Unfortunately, a lack of racial understanding from the Congolese saw supporters get their revenge by vandalising Chinese restaurants after the game.

In a domestic Turkish league game, the aforementioned Cakir was beaten up by a goalkeeper, Portugal's Pedro Proenca was headbutted by an unidentified assailant while shopping in Lisbon and Chilean official Enrique Osses also felt a goalkeeper's wrath, by being knocked out in a Chilean Premier League match.

But it's not all bad news for referees, as a few positive stories are also revealed. Bakary Gassama will become the first ever-Gambian representative at the World Cup, New Zealand's Peter O'Leary is Head of Biology at a secondary school, while Swedish ref Jonas Erikkson tops the rich-list after his involvement in a sports TV channel made him a multi-millionaire.

Sports Interaction provides World Cup fans with the ultimate referee insight