World Cup Referees Under a Microscope: From Spain's Controversial Penalty to Alleged Argentina Favouritism

The referee has one of the most difficult jobs in the World Cup, with the losing team almost always questioning officiating decisions after the final whistle. It happened again on Tuesday night as Spain defeated France 2-0 in their World Cup semifinal, with a controversial penalty decision and other disputed calls prompting French manager Didier Deschamps to publicly criticise the referee's performance.

'Now, I'm asking you, and I'm not going to answer it,' a visibly upset Deschamps told reporters. 'I don't want to come across as a whiner because we lost, but did tonight's referee have the level to officiate a World Cup semifinal?'

Who Was the Referee for the Spain-France match?

'It's not just the penalty in question, it's an accumulation of things,' Deschamps also said. An American pundit agreed with the coach. 'In what conceivable world is this a penalty? Completely insane,' said Hala Gorani

The score was zero for both countries when Lucas Digne tried to clear a loose ball but kicked Lamine Yamal in the process. Referee Ivan Barton awarded a penalty that allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to give Spain its first goal of the game. Pedro Porro contributed a goal that sealed Spain's ticket to the finals.

Barton, 35, is from El Salvador and most of his career was spent officiating in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football. This is not his first World Cup, as he was also among the referees for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Argentina took home the trophy. He has been certified by FIFA since 2018.

But not everyone was disappointed with Barton. Fans happy to see Spain reach the final gave Barton a positive rating. 'No complaints... He was spot on in almost every situation. He and his assistants did not need VAR today; they were VAR themselves,' a spectator said.

All Eyes on Argentina-England Umpires

Fans are going to closely monitor the highly anticipated semifinals between England and Argentina. FIFA named an all-American crew to officiate the match, a first in the men's tournament history. Ismail Elfath, Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins are assigned to referee on Wednesday, 15 July, at Atlanta Stadium.

The trio's last outing was in the Round of 16, where Norway won 2-1 over Brazil. It is an important match for the three Americans, with all eyes on Lionel Messi, widely considered the GOAT in football, and on Argentina, which many fans consider FIFA's favourite to win it all.

Fans are already pointing out that Elfath is Messi's 'favourite referee.'

What Is Messi's Connection to the Semifinal Referee?

Elfath was also among the referees when Argentina won the 2022 World Cup against France. It was Elfath's first World Cup. He has never officiated an Argentina match in this year's tournament.

However, many have noted that Messi has never lost a game officiated by Elfath, who has been a Major League Soccer (MLS) referee since 2012. Messi has been playing in the MLS since 2023, kicking for Inter Miami. He lifted his first MLS Cup trophy in 2025, but Elfath was not part of the refereeing crew then.

According to Messi and Argentina detractors, there have been five MLS matches that Elfath officiated featuring Inter Miami. Messi won all five of those matches, with four played with homecourt advantage. Elfath also officiated the 2023 Leagues Cup, where Inter Miami triumphed over Nashville.