Controversial American Referee Elfath Appointed for Argentina-England Semi-Final

American referee Ismail Elfath has been appointed to officiate the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup semi-final between Argentina and England. The clash, scheduled for Wednesday, 15 July, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, represents one of the most high-stakes assignments of the tournament. At 44, the Moroccan-born referee brings a wealth of international experience, having already overseen three matches during the current tournament.

Elfath is a familiar figure to both teams, particularly Argentina. During the dramatic Qatar 2022 World Cup final, where Argentina triumphed over France, he served as the fourth official. According to reports from the Argentinian media outlet TyC Sports, his appointment has already sparked intense discussion due to a string of controversial decisions in his recent fixtures.

During the current tournament, Elfath has refereed Netherlands versus Japan, Spain versus Uruguay, and Brazil versus Norway. Across these three games, he has brandished eight yellow cards and one red card. The solitary red card was shown to Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio following a dangerous challenge on Spain’s Pau Cubarsí—a dismissal that played a decisive role in Uruguay’s eventual exit from the competition.

However, his performance during the Spain-Uruguay fixture drew severe criticism, particularly from the Spanish press. Critics argued that Elfath failed to maintain control of the match from the opening whistle, allowing excessively physical play to go unpunished. The controversy peaked when Uruguay’s Rodrigo Bentancur executed a heavy tackle that injured Iñaki Williams, sidelining him for several subsequent matches. Elfath opted to show only a yellow card, a decision that was widely condemned.

Elfath’s decision-making was also heavily scrutinised during the Brazil-Norway group match. When Brazil’s Matheus Cunha went down under a challenge from Norway’s Kristoffer Ajer, Elfath initially waved away play. He subsequently reversed his decision to award a penalty following a VAR intervention. Although Bruno Guimarães failed to convert the resulting spot-kick, Brazil were later awarded another penalty, which Neymar successfully converted. Despite the goal, Brazil ultimately suffered a defeat, and the match concluded amidst heated confrontations on the pitch.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Elfath migrated to the United States at the age of 18 to study mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Although he initially aspired to be a footballer, he later chose to pursue officiating. In 2001, he secured US citizenship through the Diversity Visa lottery programme.

Having joined the FIFA international referees list in 2016, Elfath has spent years officiating in Major League Soccer (MLS). This has allowed him to cross paths with Argentinian captain Lionel Messi on multiple occasions. Notably, Elfath was the head referee for the 2023 Leagues Cup final, where Messi’s Inter Miami defeated Nashville on penalties to lift the trophy.

Beyond domestic leagues, Elfath’s resume includes matches in the Copa América, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Olympic Games, FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, he officiated an Argentina match that ended in a 1-1 draw, a result that eliminated the South Americans in the group stage. Current senior squad members Facundo Medina and Alexis Mac Allister both started in that fixture.

This tournament marks Elfath’s second World Cup. In Qatar 2022, he took charge of Portugal versus Ghana, Cameroon versus Brazil, and the round-of-16 clash between Japan and Croatia. For the upcoming semi-final in Atlanta, Elfath will be assisted by fellow American officials Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, whilst Italy’s Maurizio Mariani will serve as the fourth official.