‘I’ll be on BBC for England vs Argentina – I have referee concerns’ | Football | Sport
Alan Shearer has cast doubt over England’s World Cup semi-final referee. The former Three Lions striker has been left unconvinced by the appointment of Ismail Elfath and expressed concerns over the use of the VAR technology ahead of Wednesday’s crunch match.
Argentina stand in the way of Thomas Tuchel’s side reaching the World Cup final as they go in search of silverware at the third time of asking, following defeats in 2021 and 2024 to Italy and Spain, respectively. The Moroccan-American official has been handed the responsibility of taking control of one of the biggest games in England’s history after reaching the World Cup final, righting the wrongs of their previous eliminations.
Shearer – who will be doing co-commentay for the BBC for the match – has voiced apprehension regarding the deployment of video assistant referee technology and worries it could prove hugely, and damagingly, influential in the semi-final in Atlanta. He told Betfair: “I’m slightly concerned that a refereeing decision or VAR could cost us against Argentina because I think the narrative from the referees and the VAR from the start of the tournament to now has changed massively.
“I did that France game when Mbappé was fouled and the ref went to the screen, was told to go to the screen and he stuck with his decision when I thought it was a clear penalty. And that has totally changed over the last 10 days, two weeks, the longer the tournament’s gone on.
“And I have been amazed at some of the decisions that Argentina have had, particularly that one against Egypt where their Egyptian goal was pulled back and cancelled out. I thought that was nonsense. It is a bit of a concern when playing them.”
The 44-year-old will take charge of his fourth match at this summer’s tournament, having previously officiated Holland vs Japan, Spain’s narrow victory over Uruguay in the Group Stage and Brazil’s elimination at the hands of Erling Haaland‘s Norway. He has brandished seven yellow cards, one red card and awarded two penalties throughout.
Messi has tasted victory in every match Elfath has overseen, including the 2022 World Cup final where the Argentine great completed his remarkable collection of honours — with the 44-year-old serving as fourth official in Qatar.
It will mark his first ever encounter with the Three Lions on the international stage throughout his distinguished career, as the two nations meet for the first time since England’s 1-0 victory during the 2002 World Cup.
The two countries share a turbulent history both on and off the pitch, with fixtures between them rarely short of controversy. Diego Maradona’s notorious Hand of God came against the Three Lions at the 1986 World Cup, while David Beckham was dismissed for a kick on Diego Simeone during the 1998 World Cup.
VAR proved Norway’s saviour in the quarter-final as Djed Spence’s penalty appeal was overruled by French referee Clement Turpin, who judged that the Tottenham Hotspur full-back had instigated contact before going to ground inside the box.
Neither Michael Oliver, Anthony Taylor nor Facundo Tello are permitted to officiate matches involving the nations owing to the political tensions, partly stemming from the Falklands War in 1982, resulting in an American team of officials and assistant referees, while Maurizio Mariani and Daniele Bindoni, both from Italy, serve as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively.
