The 2026 World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England witnessed a controversial moment involving Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who completely lost his temper with the officiating crew.

According to Argentine newspaper tyc, the incident occurred in the early minutes of the historic match, which has seen stunning performances from both teams since the national anthems were played. Lionel Messi was forcefully fouled by an England player, but the referee took no disciplinary action.

Following the play, Scaloni exploded in anger and shouted at the fourth official: 'Do your job that you are paid for,' a phrase that was captured by cameras with an offensive translation, sparking widespread controversy on social media.

The match was officiated by American referee Ismail Elfath, 44, who served as the fourth official in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, which Argentina won. He was assisted by his fellow countrymen Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, while Italian fourth official Maurizio Mariani was the target of Scaloni's outburst.

The referee appointments had sparked significant controversy before the match, particularly from the English media, which questioned Elfath's neutrality as he had officiated several matches for Inter Miami, Messi's club in the American league.

The Daily Mail had headlined before the match: 'Messi gets his favorite referee in the World Cup semifinal,' while The Sun warned the England team to 'keep calm' in the face of what it called Argentina's 'twisted tactics' and the officiating crew.

🔵 Lionel Scaloni explotó contra el árbitro en la semifinal contra Inglaterra tras una acción sobre Messi sin falta: "Cobrá, la c... de tu madre"

🇦🇷 El DT argentino no se contuvo en el borde del campo.pic.twitter.com/HsL2n1uDdW

— Filo.news (@filonewsOK) July 15, 2026