Myths busted: 0. The article is looking at stats from this year only, lame. The trends have been going on for years, across a number of different game styles. Also the ole "free kick tallies don't have to be even" chestnut is a nothing argument, it's observational at best, facile more likely at break even.
Look you don't have to reach into conspiracy theories to explain the discrepancies. Some teams have a penchant for milking, while unconscious bias (which can include crowd noise, instructions from the hierarchy - eg. "The Ballantyne Situation" - and the general media vibe as it were) is a well-documented phenomenon that the environment and conditions umpires ply their trade in is a perfect hotbed for.
p.s. Also another bias that we can all be subject to is the halo effect, and surprise surprise if we don't
get lumped in the same bowl as the WC (by a couple of coaches noless).