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FIFA told they have made mistake with choice of referee for England vs Argentina
Jul 14 2026 16:48 · By Samuel Meade,Sports Brand Writer · 11 Reads
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Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey concedes he would "have picked a more experienced referee" for
England
’s semi-final against
Argentina
on Wednesday night - with a
World Cup
final spot at stake.
Ismail Elfath has been given the nod for the clash in Atalanta, which will see the two old enemies square off in a major tournament for the first time since the 2002 World Cup - where
David Beckham
scored the winner.
Games between the two nations have often been fiery and regularly courted controversy. Beckham was sent off in the World Cup in 1998 after falling foul of Argentina's dark arts.
In light of that, Halsey concedes he "was surprised by Ismail Elfath’s appointment" with the official taking charge of three World Cup games thus far, none of which had any major flashpoints.
He wrote in
The Sun
: "Given the match’s status, the prize at stake, two major footballing powerhouses facing off and the history of the fixture, I would have preferred a top European official in charge.
"The majority of the English and Argentinian players play in Europe so I’d have liked a referee who knows them inside out and officiates regularly at the business end of the
Champions League
or
Europa League
.
"Elfath refs in the MLS and will only know the Inter Miami pair
Lionel Messi
and Rodrigo de Paul so he will need to be quick to keep both sides in check."
Halsey maintains he "will not have faced this sort of pressure before" and England goalkeeper
Jordan
Pickford has underlined his confidence that the Three Lions will focus on the football and not be drawn into the nasty side of the game.
"I think you've seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles but we haven't gotten into any scuffles or anything," he said.
"We've been very respectful within the game. Decisions go our way, they don't go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking. I think that's what we've done throughout the tournament."