After the appointment of Ismail Elfath for the match between Argentines and English, British media questioned FIFA's choice and raised suspicions about the referee due to his history with Lionel Messi
The appointment of the American Ismail Elfath as referee for the semifinal between Argentina and Englandtriggered a strong reaction in the British press. Just hours before the match, various English media questioned the choice of FIFA and fueled theories about alleged favoritism towards the team led by Lionel Scaloni.
One of the harshest was the Daily Mail, which presented Elfath as "the favorite referee of Lionel Messi" and claimed that "fears of favoritism towards Argentina in the World Cup have intensified" following the announcement of the referee's appointment.
The newspaper linked this assertion to the referee's history in the Major League Soccer (MLS), where he officiated four times for Inter Miami since Messi's arrival and the American team won all those matches. It also recalled that Elfath was the fourth official in the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
In that same vein, the British outlet stated that Argentina's victories over Egypt and Switzerland were surrounded by controversial refereeing decisions and asserted that these situations fueled speculation about a supposed benefit to the reigning world champion, despite FIFA rejecting those accusations and publicly explaining some of the most debated plays of the tournament.
The The Sun also echoed the controversy, headlining: "It is confirmed that the referee for the England vs Argentina match is the FIFA official who oversaw Lionel Messi's most important moment".
The Sun's headline on the appointment of Ismail Elfath
In the article, the tabloid noted that the referee "is someone that Lionel Messi and company know very well" due to his background in the MLS and warned that "all eyes will be on the referees" following accusations that the tournament is favoring Argentina. It also claimed that this alleged favoritism "has already caused some English fans to fear the worst heading into the semifinal".
For its part, The Mirror also addressed the appointment from a critical perspective. The outlet recalled Elfath's previous performances in this World Cup and stated that he allowed excessively physical play in matches like Spain-Uruguay and Norway-Brazil, suggesting that a more lenient refereeing style could favor the intense style with which the Argentina National Team plays.
Beyond the controversy arising from England, FIFA reaffirmed the appointment of the Moroccan-American referee, who will be accompanied by his compatriots Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins as assistants and will oversee one of the most significant matches of the 2026 World Cup, in an atmosphere of maximum expectation both on and off the field.
