Former referee warns Kane his 'irritating' questions cost England 50-50 calls

Graham Scott, who spent a decade refereeing in the Premier League, has publicly warned Harry Kane that his approach to officials is counterproductive — and may be costing England decisions at the World Cup.

Scott’s remarks follow England’s 2-1 semi-final exit to Argentina, which ended the Three Lions’ tournament and condemned them to a third-place play-off against France. Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the second half before Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned the game around for Argentina.

“He’s very repetitive,” Scott told talkSPORT, describing what it is like to referee a game involving Kane. “And it is the sarcastic leading question of ‘Is he going to be allowed to do that all day? Are you going to give us anything? Do you know there are two teams out here…?’ And it just irritates you.”

Scott went further, admitting that persistent complaints from a player can actively influence a referee’s decision-making on marginal calls. “I wish you’d just go away,” he said of his reaction in those moments, “and then… if anything, when the 50-50 call comes in, ‘No, you’re not getting it, because I’ve taken against you as a person now.’”

The former official was equally critical of England’s wider tendency to pressure referees, contrasting it unfavourably with Argentina’s more calculated approach. “It really annoys me watching our players trying to chip away at the ref because that’s not going to work,” Scott said. “It doesn’t get you what you want. It doesn’t achieve what you’re hoping it will achieve. And, well, the Argentinians seem rather more effective at it — so what can we learn from that?”

Scott also raised the question of whether England adequately prepare for individual referees before matches, suggesting teams should study officials’ tendencies in the same way they analyse opponents. “Do we actually watch the ref? Do we analyse them before the game? Do we think, ‘Right, he’s going to let this go’?”

Referee Ismael Elfath issued four yellow cards during the 90 minutes — three to Argentina players Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Rodrigo De Paul, and one to England’s Elliot Anderson.

Despite his criticism, Scott stopped short of writing Kane off entirely. “He could be effective, sure, but what he’s trying now doesn’t work,” he said, adding that he would welcome a direct conversation with the England captain about the issue.