FIFA has appointed American of Moroccan-Moroccan origin Ismail Elfath, 44, as referee for the semi-final of the 2026 Football World Cup between England and Argentina, scheduled for Wednesday July 16.
He will be assisted by his fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins during the match in Atlanta. The Italian Maurizio Mariani will be the fourth referee.
His nomination looks like a normal choice on paper; However, fans have different theories about his appointment, with many describing him as ‘Messi’s favorite referee’.
Elfath has managed Messi’s matches in Major League Soccer (MLS) where the star striker plays for Inter Miami. The problem is that the master dribbler did not lose a single match when the Moroccan was officiating.
Elfath was the fourth official when Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final, a match where Messi scored twice. He was also the head referee when Inter Miami won the 2023 Leagues Cup, with Messi scoring before another victory on penalties. Since then, he has overseen three more MLS victories for Messi’s Inter Miami.
This perfect record earned Elfath a new nickname in the sports media: Messi’s “lucky charm”.
Since England are competing against Argentina, British newspapers have not hesitated to express their criticism with Daily Mail writing: “Messi will have his favorite referee in the semi-final, despite theories claiming the tournament is rigged.”
The Sun And Daily mirror also voiced their concerns and England fans didn’t hold back either as one turned to X and wrote: “England getting robbed before the match even starts is a dirty job.” »
FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, strongly rejected any suggestion of bias. He said World Cup officials work independently and questioning their integrity without real evidence is not fair.
