FIFA has appointed Moroccan-American Ismail Elfath, 44, to act as referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina, scheduled for Wednesday, July 16.
He will be assisted by his compatriots Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins during the game in Atlanta. The Italian Maurizio Mariani will be the fourth official.
His appointment seems 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 refereed Messi’s matches in Major League Soccer (MLS), where the star striker plays for Inter Miami. The peculiarity is that the master dribbler has not lost a single match while the Moroccan refereed.
Elfath was the fourth official when Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final, a match in which Messi scored twice. He was also the main referee when Inter Miami won the 2023 League Cup, with Messi scoring before another penalty shootout victory. Since then, he has overseen three more MLS victories for Messi’s Inter Miami.
That perfect record has earned Elfath a new nickname in the sports media: Messi’s “lucky charm.”
As England competes against Argentina, British newspapers did not hesitate to express their criticism with daily mail writing: “Messi will have his favorite referee in the semi-final, despite theories that claim the tournament is rigged.”
the sun and daily mirror They also voiced their concerns and English fans didn’t hold back either when one addressed X and wrote: “England being robbed before the game has started is a nasty job.”
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has firmly rejected any suggestion of bias. He said World Cup officials work independently and questioning their integrity without real evidence is unfair.
