FIFA picked American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate what might be the most anticipated World Cup semi-final in decades. England vs. Argentina, July 15, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Several major English newspapers are not exactly thrilled about it.
The criticism centers on a detail that’s hard to ignore: Lionel Messi has reportedly never lost a match officiated by Elfath. That includes Elfath’s involvement as fourth official during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup final victory. For English fans already nursing decades of football heartbreak against Argentina, this feels less like coincidence and more like cosmic injustice.
The referee controversy, explained
The argument goes something like this: if a referee has officiated multiple matches involving one team’s best player and that player has never lost under his watch, maybe pick a different referee for the biggest match of the tournament. Whether that correlation means anything at all is debatable. Referees don’t score goals. But perception matters in football, and right now the perception in England is that the deck might be stacked.
Prediction markets are having a field day
