Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:19pm on 15 Jul 2026,Wednesday Sports
FIFA has appointed Moroccan-American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against England in Atlanta. The decision has drawn attention because Lionel Messi has won all 5 matches in which Elfath has served as referee or match official. While the statistic has sparked debate among fans, there is no evidence that the referee has influenced those results. Elfath, a FIFA referee since 2016, has already officiated 3 matches at the 2026 World Cup. He was also the fourth official during the 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina won against France. (PC: India Today)
