Shearer warns England referee could be decisive factor against Argentina in World Cup semi-final

Alan Shearer has warned that refereeing decisions could prove decisive when England face Argentina in their World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, with FIFA confirming American official Ismail Elfath as the match referee.

Elfath will be assisted by compatriots Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, forming an all-American officiating trio. Italy’s Maurizio Mariani serves as fourth official, with Daniele Bindoni as reserve assistant referee.

Shearer, speaking on The Rest is Football, said the physical nature of the fixture made disciplinary incidents likely. “It would worry me re decisions,” the former England captain said. “I do think because there’ll be a bit of spice, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were a red card or two as well.”

Expanding on those comments, Shearer pointed to a pattern of VAR interventions that he believes have consistently favoured Argentina throughout the tournament. “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,” he said.

Shearer cited Argentina’s group-stage match against Egypt, in which a goal for the African side was disallowed, as a particularly contentious example. “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.”

He also referenced the France match earlier in the tournament, in which a potential penalty for Kylian Mbappé was reviewed but not awarded — a decision he disagreed with — as evidence of a broader shift in officiating standards as the competition has progressed.

VAR also played a significant role in Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland, where a yellow card shown to Leandro Paredes was rescinded after Breel Embolo was found to have dived to win the foul. The reversal meant Embolo’s booking stood as his second of the match, resulting in a red card just five minutes after Switzerland had equalised.

Lionel Messi also escaped a red card in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria after appearing to stand on Aissa Mandi’s leg, a decision that drew scrutiny at the time.

Elfath has already issued one red card during the tournament. Shearer’s assessment suggests he expects the semi-final to test the American referee’s authority from the first whistle.