Argentina-England semi-final to be officiated by controversial referee
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Wednesday's high-voltage semi-final between England and Argentina in Atlanta will be refereed by American official Ismail Elfath. His appointment has sparked considerable debate and criticism. The 44-year-old, who served as fourth official in the Qatar World Cup final, has been criticized for several controversial decisions in this World Cup.
Born in Casablanca, Morocco, and later acquiring US citizenship, Elfath has officiated three matches in this tournament, each marred by controversy. Spanish media expressed outrage over his refereeing in the Netherlands-Japan and Spain-Uruguay matches. In particular, during the match against Uruguay, Rodrigo Bentancur's harsh tackle left Iñaki Williams injured, but Elfath only showed a yellow card.
His role in the Round of 16 match between Brazil and Norway was also questioned. He initially missed a foul by Norway's Kristoffer Ayer, which was later reviewed by VAR and awarded as a penalty. In that match, he also had heated exchanges with Brazilian players, raising doubts about his competence.
Despite on-field controversies, Lionel Messi is no stranger to Elfath. He was the referee in the 2023 Leagues Cup final when Messi's Inter Miami won the title. He also officiated Argentina's matches at the Tokyo Olympics. Consequently, many players in the current Argentina squad are well acquainted with him.
Elfath moved to the United States at 18 and earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas. He acquired US citizenship in 2001 through the Diversity Visa program and is now one of FIFA's top referees. However, his impartiality will face a major test in the historically heated fixture between England and Argentina.
For Wednesday's semi-final, Elfath will be assisted by referees Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, with Italy's Maurizio Mariani as the fourth official. All eyes will now be on how accurately Elfath can manage the match amid the on-field tension and intense contest between the two sides.
