Concerns rise over referee bias ahead of England vs Argentina semi-final

Fears of favouritism towards Argentina in the World Cup have intensified following FIFA's announcement that Lionel Messi's preferred referee will officiate the highly-anticipated semi-final against England.

Argentina has not been at its best leading up to Wednesday's crucial match, narrowly defeating Egypt and Switzerland in controversial circumstances in the last-16 and quarter-finals, respectively.

The nature of these victories, including a disallowed goal for Egypt and a red card for Swiss striker Breel Embolo, has sparked significant backlash and speculation that FIFA is attempting to assist Messi and Argentina in their quest for the title, a claim that the governing body firmly denies.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Ismail Elfath will officiate the match at Atlanta Stadium, marking the most significant occasion of his refereeing career. England aims to reach their first World Cup final since 1966, while Argentina seeks to make it to back-to-back finals.

Elfath, who was born in Morocco and is now an American referee, will be supported by compatriots Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins. This will be his fourth match at this World Cup, and it will be the first time he has refereed either England or Argentina during this tournament. The fourth official will be Italian Maurizio Mariani.

Elfath previously served as the fourth official in the 2022 World Cup final when Argentina triumphed over France, and his interactions with Messi have increased since the forward joined MLS side Inter Miami in July 2023.

Just a month after joining Inter Miami, Messi played a key role in securing the Leagues Cup final victory against Nashville SC, a match officiated by Elfath. Messi scored the opening goal with a stunning strike from outside the box before Nashville equalised. The game ultimately went to penalties, with Miami winning 10-9 and Messi converting the first spot-kick.

The 44-year-old has officiated Messi four times at club level, with all four matches resulting in victories for Messi's side, raising concerns for England ahead of the semi-final.

Since moving to the US, Messi has faced Elfath four times, winning each time. In addition to the Leagues Cup final, Messi has netted four goals in the other three MLS matches officiated by Elfath.

England players should be cautious, as Elfath's record in MLS this season shows he is not hesitant to issue cards. In 10 matches before the World Cup break, he handed out 41 yellow cards, sent off three players, and awarded three penalties.

His officiating style has carried over into this World Cup, where he has shown eight yellow cards and one red card across three matches, Netherlands 2-2 Japan, Spain 1-0 Uruguay, and Norway 2-1 Brazil.

The match between Spain and Uruguay was marred by controversy, with Elfath facing criticism from the Spanish media for his performance. He was accused of lacking firmness with the Uruguayans, leading to a late red card for midfielder Agustin Canobbio following a high challenge on Pau Cubarsi.

The Spanish media's biggest complaint stemmed from Nicolas De La Cruz's challenge on Nico Williams, which left the latter injured. Williams described the experience as "one of the worst days of my life" after the match, but he managed to play through the pain in the quarter-final against Portugal.

Elfath's most recent match also featured a contentious moment when he initially rejected Brazil's penalty claims after Norway defender Kristoffer Ajer fouled Matheus Cunha. However, after VAR intervention, Elfath reversed his decision, although Bruno Guimaraes's penalty was saved.

Messi and Argentina have faced scrutiny throughout this World Cup, with accusations of refereeing bias in their favour. The latest incident occurred on Saturday when Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji claimed that everything was "against us" following their 3-1 quarter-final defeat in extra time.

Switzerland's players and manager expressed outrage after Embolo became the first player to be sent off under a new rule for mistaken identity. With the match level at 72 minutes, Embolo received a second yellow card after a VAR review determined he had dived rather than being fouled by Argentina's Leandro Paredes. A new rule introduced for this World Cup allows for a change in decision if a player is booked or sent off for a foul committed by an opponent.

Reflecting on the match, Akanji vented: "Every little thing was called against us," and "I've never experienced such a one-sided game." Manager Murat Yakin described the officiating as "incomprehensible."

Last week, FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina addressed concerns regarding the integrity of World Cup officials, asserting they cannot be influenced by anyone following Egypt's complaints after their last-16 exit to Argentina.

The reigning champions came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in Atlanta, leading Egypt manager Hossam Hassan to accuse FIFA of rigging the World Cup in favour of Messi.

Hassan's frustrations were amplified by footage of him angrily confronting Argentina in the tunnel after the match.

In response to the criticisms of officiating, Collina dismissed the allegations against his staff, highlighting the potential consequences for the accused officials and their families.

When asked about his view of the World Cup so far, Collina stated: "Let’s start by saying that we have now played 50 per cent more matches than at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and there are still eight more huge games to be played. Overall, we are happy. However, with such a high number of matches played in a relatively short period of time, it is normal that some things do not go as expected. When that happens, they are ready to work even harder to ensure they are fully prepared for the next match."

He added: "Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport. Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right."

Collina emphasised that FIFA refereeing cannot be influenced by anyone, not even FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has consistently supported the officials' independence. Match officials strive to make honest decisions and, like players and coaches, always aim to perform to the best of their abilities.

Source: Mail Online