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Amid the controversy that has broken out over the alleged favoritism from Gianni Infantino and FIFA and the attempts to have Argentina win the current World Cup, it has been announced that Lionel Messi will play the semifinal against England with his “favorite” referee.
As confirmed, Lionel will go head-to-head with his favorite referee, Ismail Elfath, with whom he played in the final match against France in Qatar 2022, which he won in a 4-2 penalty shootout.
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In addition to Elfath, the Argentina vs. England match will be assisted by American referees Corey Parker and Kylie Atkins, and Italians Maurizio Mariani and Daniele Bindoni.
It is said that Elfath is the Argentine star's favorite because he has benefited him in the matches they have played together, both in World Cups and in the MLS league. In 2023, after being signed by Inter Miami, Messi led the club to win the Leagues Cup under the officiating of that figure.
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In addition to this, Lionel has won every match played by Inter Miami under Ismail since he arrived in the United States.
¿Quién es Ismail Elfath? ¿Es amigo de Lionel Messi?
The referee for the England vs. Argentina match is a native of Casablanca, Morocco, and is a naturalized American citizen. He is 44 years old.
He has been a FIFA referee since 2016 and has officiated in the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, in addition to being present in the MLS, the Saudi Pro League, and the Concacaf Champions Cup.
It is not known if they are friends or close; however, it has been commented that Messi has a certain influence over Ismail.
Lionel Messi y la polémica por partidos “amañados” y ayudas de Infantino
In the last few matches of the Argentine national team, it has been commented that the officiating was manipulated and corrupt in order to favor Messi and thus help him advance to the semifinals. The coach of Egypt publicly said that their match was “rigged” and “unfair” and questioned FIFA as to why they organize such a soccer competition if they are just going to end up giving the cup to Argentina.
“The world champions receive support from everywhere, support and marketing,” remarked coach Hossam Hassan at a press conference following Egypt's defeat.
Speculations about fraud by FIFA have also been made regarding matches against Cape Verde, Jordan, Switzerland, and Algeria, in the latter case especially because it was alleged that Messi should have been shown a red card.
Messi exige al arbitraje que lo respete en el campo
While everything and everyone seems to be in favor of Lionel Messi and his national team becoming world champions again, that is not the case. During the match against Switzerland, the Argentine was involved in a heated argument with referee João Pinheiro.
The tension between the two figures occurred while Switzerland was preparing to take a free kick; according to reports, Messi accused Pinheiro of being aggressive with the players on the defensive wall and warned him: “Speak to me with respect. Do not disrespect me. Speak to me with respect and I will speak to you with respect.”
[Publicidad]