American referee of Moroccan origin Ismail Elfath caught the eye after the end of the match he officiated between the national teams of England and Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, after he performed an unusual action.

The Argentine national team qualified for the final of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, after defeating England 2-1 on Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium in the semi-final.

After blowing the final whistle, the American referee was seen prostrating on the ground, before shaking hands with his assistants and the players of both teams, in an unusual scene from football match referees.

Elfath was the focus of English newspapers' talk before the match, as they accused him of being the favorite referee of Argentine star Lionel Messi, amid allegations that the Argentine national team received some refereeing assistance.

Elfath faced greater criticism after the end of the first half, for not showing yellow cards, amid some violent tackles made by the Argentine national team players in particular.

It is noted that this match was the fourth that Ismail Elfath officiated in the current edition of the World Cup, after the matches of Netherlands vs Japan, and Spain vs Uruguay in the group stage, and the Brazil vs Norway match in the round of 16.