Italy reaction: We do not know where Ecuadorian referee Aldemar Byron Ruales Moreno intends to spend his summer holiday this year but, in the interests of his own safety, we suggest he steers a wide berth clear of Italy.

"Plot", "Scandal", "Conspiracy" and "Disgrace" were just some of the comments made by Italian footballers, fans and commentators alike in relation to his refereeing of Italy's 2-1 defeat by South Korea yesterday.

At first glance, it would seem that everyone in the country from state President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi down to the thousands of citizens who braved the 36° midday sun to watch the game on giant TV screens in piazzas up and down the country were convinced that Italy "woz robbed". Minutes after the final whistle in Daejeon, President Ciampi rang Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni to tell him that, on this occasion at least, the best team had not won.

Rightly or wrongly, Italy exit from this World Cup convinced that FIFA, world soccer's ruling body, did not want them to prolong their stay in Asia, especially not at the expense of host nation South Korea. In a country where conspiracy theories are imprinted onto the national DNA, millions of Italians this morning are convinced that FIFA were willing to use (refereeing) methods both foul and fair to ensure a premature return home for the "Azzurri".

Italy went into yesterday's game convinced that their passage to the second round had already been unnecessarily complicated by line decisions that denied them apparently good goals in first-round games against Croatia and Mexico. Italian paranoia was probably not much helped when the local fans worked a neat piece of crowd choreography creating a giant banner that read, "Again 1966", in reference to the infinite shame of a July day in 1966 when the other Korea, North Korea, put Italy of the English World Cup finals.

A booking for an Italian defender and a penalty awarded to South Korea in the opening five minutes did nothing to help the national mood. Nor did the sending-off of playmaker Francesco Totti and the denial of a possible goal in extra-time soothe the spirits of conspiracy theorists: "From that first booking and that early penalty against us, and with everything else that happened subsequently, you could see the way things were set up," said Trapattoni.

"The referee was a disgrace," commented substitute defender Fabio Cannavaro, with rather less diplomacy.

"A scandal within a scandal, from the game against Croatia on to today," said second half substitute Angelo Di Livio.

Even a group of parliamentarians, who were gathered together at the Lower House in Montecitorio to watch the match, thanks to a carefully-scheduled recess, gave vent to some distinctly unparliamentary language as the referee Moreno continued to flash his yellow cards in Italian faces.

Inquiries about his mother's virtue and advice as to which place he might betake himself unto flew through the air, as the deputies became passionate football fans for an hour and a half.

One comment, however, was nowhere to be heard yesterday on Italian television, radio or in the piazza. Namely, could it be that South Korea won because they were the better team?