The 10 worst villains from the 2014 World Cup

It's expected that for every glorious moment at a World Cup, there's an equal number of controversial incidents produced throughout the month-long tournament.

Whether it's France midfielder Zinedine Zidane's head-butt on Italy's Marco Materazzi or Diego Maradona's infamous handball against the English in 1986, villainy seems to be a constant at the World Cup.

The 2014 edition in Brazil is no different. Here are 10 worst villains of the tournament so far:

Luis Suarez - Uruguay

It's almost unthinkable that the tournament will produce a moment that exceeds the savagery of Luis Suarez's actions toward Italy's Giorgio Chiellini when the Uruguayan sank his teeth into the defenders shoulder. Though he claimed that the bite occurred as a result of the two colliding in the Italian box, FIFA handed Suarez a nine-match suspension and a four month ban from all football activities, the harshest punishment the governing body has dished out at the World Cup.

Unfortunately, it will likely be right up there as one of the lasting images of the 2014 World Cup for years to come.

Juan Camilo Zúñiga - Colombia

While Suarez's actions made him the tournament's ultimate villain, it's Colombia's Juan Camilo Zúñiga who leaves the World Cup as conceivably the most hated man in Brazil after his horrible challenge on Neymar.

As the Brazilian had his back turned, with his eyes on the ball, an airborne Zúñiga came crashing into the back of Neymar with his knee, sending the superstar to the ground in severe pain. Hours later, the unthinkable was announced that Neymar had suffered a fractured vertebrae and would not feature for the rest of the World Cup. The incident produced an equal amount of sadness as it did anger toward the Colombian player who likely had to leave the country under a shroud of secrecy.

Carlos Velasco Carballo - Referee: Brazil vs. Colombia

Another factor in Zúñiga's tackle on Neymar was referee Carlos Velasco Carballo who set the match's theme by letting too many fouls go unpunished. The quarterfinal game produced a tournament-high 54 fouls, with only four of them worthy of yellow cards in the Spanish referee's opinion.

Carballo has been under fire from both sets of supporters since Friday's match, with many saying his unwillingness to punish players allowed the game to get out of control and led to the tackle that knocked Neymar out of the tournament.

Alex Song - Cameroon

There was something odd about Alex Song's nonsensical outburst in Cameroon's group stage match against Croatia. Song, presumably outraged by Mario Mandzukic's decision to slow down in front of him, unleashed a violent punch that earned him a straight red card from the referee who witnessed the midfielder's outburst and did not hesitate to send him off.

Song, who generally isn't known for losing his temper, didn't argue the referee's decision and walked off the field, expressionless, and without remorse after putting his side in an unenviable position. Ultimately, his carelessness marked the end of Cameroon's tournament.

Tim Krul - Netherlands

It's hard to deem Netherlands backup keeper Tim Krul a villain after his heroics helped the Dutch advance to the semifinals when he was subbed into the match for the sole purpose of stopping the penalty takers from Costa Rica.

His actions, however, rubbed some people the wrong way as he tried to get inside the minds of his opponents with taunts and telling the players exactly where he expected them to shoot the ball. The truly astonishing aspect, however, was the fact that Krul predicted the direction of each penalty kick and stopped two of them to help the Netherlands advance to the semifinals for the second straight World Cup.

Mario Balotelli - Italy

Along with Luis Suarez, you probably could have predicted Italy's erratic striker, Mario Balotelli, would make a list such as this. He didn't have to commit an act of violence quite a vicious as Suarez's to earn a spot on here, but his final match in Italy's critical encounter against Uruguay left many reverting back to the same old negative thought process whenever they hear Balotelli's name.

It was clear the physical treatment towards Balotelli was agitating the Italian striker, causing him to seemingly play with a ferociousness that eventually led to a yellow card when he nearly took off Alvaro Pereira's head with a reckless flying challenge. It was that brash challenge that forced manager Cesare Prandelli to remove him from the match at halftime, fearful of Baltoelli getting sent off in the second half with one yellow card to his name. His departure left many pundits wondering if his antics will be tolerated and if he'll feature for the Italians in the future.

Humberto Clavijo - Linesman for Mexico vs. Cameroon

Humberto Clavijo's name will haunt Giovani dos Santos for years to come after the Colombian linesman robbed the Mexican of two goals during the opening match of the World Cup against Cameroon.

Even though the pair of calls were tight, replays clearly showed the Mexican striker was on-side. FIFA was quick to act afterwards and denied the Colombian official the chance to work on any further matches in Brazil.

Arjen Robben - Netherlands

Fans in Brazil have had enough of Arjen Robben's antics as the crowds could be heard booing the Dutch forward during the quarterfinal match against Costa Rica every time he touched the ball. The unfortunate part for Robben is that many of the fouls called in his favor in that match were warranted, but his reputation for simulating fouls forced some to hold judgement until slow-motion replays were shown, while others just assumed he went to the ground untouched.

Robben even admitted to diving after the round of 16 match against Mexico but insisted the foul against him that earned Holland a penalty kick to win the game was legitimate. Images confirmed his claims as defender Rafa Marquez appeared to step on Robben's foot.

Pepe - Portugal

Pepe is another villain who entered the World Cup with a poor reputation for simulation and an affinity for violent tackles. His tournament, however, ended on a similarly sour note when he was sent off in Portugal's opening game of the tournament for head-butting Thomas Muller when he felt the German striker went down too easy. The referee correctly showed the Portguese defender a straight red card and his team went on to get thrashed 4-0.

Wilson Palacios - Honduras

Given the physical nature of his tactics against France, maybe Wilson Palacios thought he was back at the Britannia playing for his club Stoke City. 

Palacios was lucky to escape a straight red in the first half when he was seen stamping on Paul Pogba's leg, but didn't escape the wrath of the referee moments later when he bowled over Pogba with another cynical challenge in the penalty box and was shown his second yellow of the match. It was all downhill from there for Honduras who went on to lose the match 3-0.