World Cup referee gets snubbed for handshake, reacts pretty smoothly

Iker Casillas offers a reassuring pat on the back

Fletcher masterfully turns handshake into head scratch (Ryan Fagan/Vine)

World Cup 2014 referee Joe Fletcher suffered the embarrassment of having a handshake fail with a FIFA official televised around the world during the Spain v Chile match last night, though to his credit he handled it pretty coolly.

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It seems the fast reactions needed to be a referee can be of benefit off the pitch too, with Fletcher turning his missed handshake into a 'wiping my brow' with lightning speed.

He was inadvertently dodged by an official in the tunnel ahead of the match, with Spanish captain Iker Casillas failing to stifle a laugh and even giving Fletcher a reassuring pat on the back.

Realising the oversight, the official quickly returned to the referee for a handshake, but the damage had already been done.

The moment was swiftly uploaded on Vine where it has already received 111,000 tweets.

As handshake fails go it could have been a lot worse, as this wince-inducing effort from Joseph Gordon Levitt shows.