Concerns about potential World Cup bias in favor of Argentina have intensified following FIFA’s announcement that Lionel Messi’s preferred referee will oversee England’s eagerly-awaited semi-final against the defending champions.

Messi and his team have shown less than stellar performance as they prepare for Wednesday’s thrilling encounter with the Three Lions. Argentina narrowly defeated Egypt and Switzerland, amid controversial circumstances, in the last-16 and quarter-finals, respectively.

The nature of these wins, marked by a disputed disallowed goal against Egypt and the ejection of Swiss striker Breel Embolo, has ignited widespread criticism and speculation that FIFA may be favoring Messi and Argentina in their quest for the title—an allegation that FIFA firmly rejects.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Ismail Elfath will be officiating the match—arguably the biggest stage of his refereeing career—at Atlanta Stadium. England aims to secure their first World Cup final berth since 1966, while Argentina hopes to make consecutive final appearances.

The Moroccan-born American referee, supported by fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, will officiate his fourth match of this year’s tournament, and for the first time, either England or Argentina. Italian referee Maurizio Mariani will serve as the fourth official.

Elfath was the fourth official in Qatar when Argentina beat France to win the 2022 World Cup and his encounters with Messi have increased since the forward signed for MLS outfit Inter Miami in July 2023.

A month after signing for Inter Miami, Messi helped his new team win the Leagues Cup final over Nashville SC – an encounter that was refereed by Elfath.

Messi scored the opening goal with an emphatic strike into the top corner from outside the box before Nashville levelled. The match later went to penalties with Miami prevailing 10-9, with Messi scoring their first in the shootout.

In fact, since coming to America, Messi has been officiated four times by Elfath – winning on all of those occasions. As well as the aforementioned Leagues Cup final, Messi has scored four times across the other three MLS games.

And England players be warned as Elfath’s MLS record this season indicates he doesn’t mind getting his notebook out. In 10 matches he officiated in, before the season paused for the World Cup, he had dished out 41 yellow cards, sent off three players and awarded three penalties.

That approach has been matched at this World Cup so far where he has issued eight yellow cards and one red card across three matches – Netherlands 2-2 Japan, Spain 1-0 Uruguay and Norway 2-1 Brazil.

The Spain-Uruguay game with controversy too as the 44-year-old was targeted by the Spanish media afterwards for his performance. He was accused of not being firm enough with the Uruguayans – as the match became spiky. Deep into second-half stoppage-time Uruguay midfielder Agustin Canobbio was sent off late on for high challenge on Pau Cubarsi.

However, the biggest gripe from the Spanish media came as a result of Nicolas De La Cruz’s challenge on Nico Williams that left him injured. Williams described it as ‘one of the worst days of my life’ post-match but played the final minutes of their quarter-final win over Portugal.

Elfath’s most recent match too had a controversial moment when he initially dismissed Brazil’s appeals for a penalty after Norway defender Kristoffer Ajer fouled Matheus Cunha. However, VAR intervened and Elfath overturned his decision before Bruno Guimaraes saw his spot-kick saved.

Messi and Argentina have faced scrutiny throughout this World Cup so far with allegations of refereeing bias in their favour. The latest incident came on Saturday when Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji claimed everything was ‘against us’ after their 3-1 quarter-final exit in extra-time.

Switzerland’s players and manager were incensed after Embolo became the first player to be sent off as a result of a new rule for mistaken identity.

With the quarter-final level on 72 minutes, Embolo was shown a second yellow card after a video assistant referee review which led to him being adjudged to have dived – rather than being fouled by Argentina’s Leandro Paredes. A new rule introduced for this World Cup states that if a player is booked or sent off – but the foul was actually committed by the opposition – the decision can be changed.

Reflecting post-match, Akanji fumed: ‘Every little thing was called against us’ and ‘I’ve never experienced such a one-sided game.’ Manager Murat Yakin called the refereeing ‘incomprehensible’.

Last week, FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina hit out at those questioning the integrity of the World Cup officials, insisting that they cannot be influenced by anyone following Egypt’s complaints after their last-16 defeat by Argentina.

The reigning champions battled back from 2-0 after 78 minutes to win 3-2 in Atlanta, with Egypt manager Hossam Hassan later accusing FIFA of rigging the World Cup in favour of Argentina’s talisman Messi.

Hassan’s protestations were magnified also by footage showing him angrily waiting to confront Argentina inside the tunnel after the full-time whistle too.

Addressing criticisms towards the officiating, Collina rubbished the allegations towards his staff and pinpointed the wider ramifications it has on the accused individuals.

Asked by FIFA.com how he has viewed the World Cup so far, the FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer said: ‘Let’s start by saying that we have now played 50 per cent more matches than at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and there are still eight more huge games to be played.

‘Overall, we are happy. However, with such a high number of matches played in a relatively short period of time, it is normal that some things do not go as expected. When that happens, they are ready to work even harder to ensure they are fully prepared for the next match.

‘Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport. Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.

‘Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President [Gianni Infantino]. He has always shown his full support for FIFA Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence. Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best.’

Collina’s viewpoint differed strongly with Hassan’s who was fuming at the outcome of the match.

After Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner, chaos ensued with Egypt’s furious staff remonstrating with referee Francois Letexier, leading to goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer being shown a red card and Hassan being dragged away from a confrontation with the official.

The Pharaohs were furious that the referee – and also VAR – had not awarded Egypt a penalty moments before Argentina’s winner, as Mohamed Salah was brought down inside the box after having his foot clipped by Julian Alvarez.

Earlier in the second half, Egypt themselves had a goal disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up. Throughout the game, a string of decisions went in favour of Argentina, who have now progressed to the quarter-finals as they bid to retain their crown in North America.

After the match, Hassan could not contain his outrage and furiously accused world football’s governing body FIFA of rigging the tournament so that all-time great Messi could remain in the competition for ‘marketing reasons’.

‘We were better, but football is unfair,’ the heartbroken coach said in his post-match interview.

‘It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist (in the tournament).

‘I thank my players very much. To all the Egyptians, the Arabs, the Africans, you can work hard, it’s what you have to do, but sometimes there are other factors that make you struggle.

‘I wish we could be happier with the loss, but with a severe loss like today I say to them (my players) be upset. We wish we could be happier. Thank God for everything but football is different from what happens in the stadium when we are playing against the world champions.

‘There is support from all directions for the world champions. Support and marketing.’

He added later: ‘Why isn’t there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.’

Hassan went on to claim that the result was influenced by ‘internal’ and ‘external’ factors and that Egypt had objected to the selection of Letexier as referee.

Ziko added fuel to the fire after the game by describing Letexier as an ‘unjust’ referee.

‘Referee, not fair,’ he said in tears during his post-match interview. ‘Unjust, unjust referee. An unjust person. An injustice that is so clear.

‘He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. Since the beginning of the game, we were leaving the game winning 2-0 against Argentina. But the cup has already been given.’

‘I apologise to (the Egypt fans). We wanted to make them happy today. We didn’t know how to do that. But, by God, it’s not in our hands; it’s in the hands of the referee. The cup has already been decided.

‘Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup. Congratulations. You don’t need anything else.’

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A YouTuber with a penchant for true-crime stories has come under fire for allegedly transforming the area near the Nancy Guthrie search site into a personal livestream set. This setup reportedly included traffic cones, a tripod, and what some have described as a “pee tent.”

Documents accessed by News Media reveal misdemeanor cases tied to three men who were either cited or faced charges after streaming activity was noticed by law enforcement close to the Catalina Foothills. This location is pertinent to the investigation into Guthrie’s mysterious disappearance.

According to the FBI, the last known sighting of Nancy Guthrie was at her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood on the night of January 31, 2026.

However, the investigation into her whereabouts has not only attracted the attention of authorities but also of online sleuths, livestreamers, and true-crime enthusiasts, many of whom have descended upon the neighborhood to broadcast from the vicinity of the search zone.

Alexander Zabel Jr. — “Criminal Network”

The most detailed allegations appear in the case against Alexander Zabel Jr., also known as CriminalNetwork, who was charged with obstructing a public thoroughfare and public nuisance, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department citation and misdemeanor probable-cause statement.

Deputies said they responded around 4:30 p.m. on May 26 to a traffic hazard and contacted Zabel, who was allegedly sitting in a lawn chair.

The probable-cause statement says Zabel intentionally placed traffic cones in the road next to his personal belongings, including a tripod he was using to livestream. Deputies wrote that Zabel’s YouTube livestream also showed him on the roadway.

The same probable-cause statement says that on June 6, Zabel set up a “pee tent” on the road “insinuating that he was urinating” and creating an unpleasant environment for surrounding neighbors.

Deputies wrote that, because of the “sensitivity & proximity to the high-profile address,” Zabel created an offensive setting in the middle of the neighborhood and obstructed the free use of property.

Zabel was cited for two misdemeanor counts including obstructing a public thoroughfare and public nuisance, both marked as criminal offenses.

Zabel pleaded not guilty to both counts. James Pollack, community relations coordinator for the Arizona Superior Court in Pima County, said Zabel has a show-cause hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 21.

Troy Lewis Bradshaw — “DAA JUICE”

A second streamer, Troy Lewis Bradshaw, also known as “DAA JUICE”, was cited by PCSD for allegedly obstructing a public thoroughfare on June 4, according to a separate Arizona traffic ticket and complaint.

He was charged with “obstructing a public thoroughfare.” Unlike Zabel, Bradshaw’s court records provided to News Media did not include a narrative explaining exactly what deputies alleged he did to obstruct the roadway.

A June 16 minute entry shows Bradshaw pleaded not guilty to obstructing highway/public thoroughfare, first offense, with a fine or civil sanction listed at $282. Pollack told News Media that Bradshaw had a case management conference on Monday.

Damian Todd Enderle — “857 Tucson”

The third case involved Damian Todd Enderle, also known as “857 Tucson”, who was cited June 8 for public nuisance, according to a PCSD citation.

A June 30 minute entry shows the public nuisance charge was dismissed after the state moved to drop it. Pollack said Enderle does not have any upcoming court hearings scheduled.

The bureau’s Phoenix field office and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are continuing to investigate Guthrie’s disappearance and have asked the public for digital information, including photographs or doorbell-camera footage, that could help locate her.

Anyone with information can call the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME at 520-882-7463. Digital photos, video or doorbell-camera footage can be submitted through the FBI at fbi.gov/findguthrie.

News Media has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

It’s an outrageous move on numerous fronts: City Council members are attempting to pass a substantial pay raise for themselves.

Mere days after the approval of a colossal $126 billion city budget, they introduced a proposal to increase their salaries by over 18%, effective retroactively from January 1, accompanied by automatic annual raises of 2% thereafter.

These increases would elevate council members’ salaries to $175,500, placing them in an upper-middle-class bracket, more than doubling the city’s median income of $81,228.

This decision demonstrates utter disregard for city voters, whom the politicians evidently believe will overlook this move, as well as a blatant disregard for the City Charter, which outlines a completely different method for salary increases.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Speaker Julie Menin should be held accountable if they permit this to go forward, instead of standing up to members seeking this financial windfall.

And shame on the supposed good-government groups currying favor by claiming a $27,000 increase will attract superior candidates.

Hah! The council awarded itself fat $30,000 raises in 2016 with no sign of improvement at all; the simple fact is that the job was never meant to be a good career move, but rather a public service that might interrupt a normal career.

Los Angeles and Chicago pay their councilmembers more — and those towns are now worse disasters than Gotham.

The City Charter requires the convening of a pay panel every four years — specifically during the third year of a mayoral administration — to prevent immediate conflicts of interest: By moving now, the council majority would be declaring themselves proud to line their own pockets.

Private-sector workers don’t get automatic cost-of-living adjustments, nor do regular city workers: What entitles the council members to them, other than “we think we can get away with it”?

Mamdani should order his City Charter Commission to fix this loophole by asking city voters to explicitly ban this self-dealing.

And if Menin means to be seen as a real leader, she can’t just announce she won’t take the raise: She needs to refuse to allow a floor vote on this outrage.

If neither of them steps up, they’re declaring that they, too, hold regular New Yorkers in complete contempt.

Two of Brad Pitt’s children have taken steps to formally separate themselves from the association with their well-known father.

According to documents accessed by the Daily Mail, Zahara and Maddox, Pitt’s daughter and son respectively, have issued public notices announcing their plans to remove ‘Pitt’ from their surnames.

These announcements appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, spread across the months of June and July.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for both Jolie and Pitt seeking their viewpoints on the matter.

One such notice reads: ‘Petitioner Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie.’

‘Petitioner Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie,’ the other says.

The notices both invite dissenting parties to appear at a scheduled hearing over the matter; Zahara’s is scheduled for September 28 while Maddox’s is on September 14. 

In the state of California, those seeking to legally change their name must publish an Order to Show Cause – a document requesting the name change – for four weeks in a row in a newspaper before their court date. 

It comes a month after Zahara filed a petition requesting that her new name be Zahara Marley Jolie.

Maddox also filed to drop the actor’s last name in late May. 

Zahara publicly dropped the last name three years ago when she joined a sorority at Spelman College. 

‘My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California,’ she appeared to say while introducing herself to sorority sisters, via People. 

She also went by Zahara Marley Jolie during her graduation ceremony, which her father reportedly skipped, according to TMZ.

‘Nothing prevented him from showing up for her. Or ever visiting her. The day was about all she accomplished. Not whether he was willing to attend,’ a source close to Jolie told the publication.

However, multiple sources have exclusively spoken to the Daily Mail in defense of Pitt, insisting that he is not the absent father he has been portrayed as, and he wants a relationship with his six children.

Maddox was also credited as Maddox Jolie-Pitt while working as a production assistant on his mother’s biopic Maria. 

Jolie and Pitt’s other children, Shiloh and Vivienne, have also stopped using the actor’s last name. It is not known if Pax has stopped using the name as well.

Last year, Shiloh, who was born Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, legally changed her name to Shiloh Jolie shortly after turning 18.

At the time, in a statement shared with People, Shiloh’s lawyer Peter Levine said she ‘made an independent and significant decision following painful events,’ adding that she was ‘merely following legal process’ when publishing notice of the change.

One month after Shiloh filed to drop her father’s last name, a source told People that Pitt’s relationship with his older children remained strained.

‘He has virtually no contact with the adult kids. His engagement with the younger kids is more limited in recent months because of his filming schedule,’ the insider said.

In May 2024, Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie, not Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, on the playbill for the Broadway musical The Outsiders.

The family divide was again brought to the forefront when Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta Pitt, died last year at the age of 84.

Sources revealed at the time that she had been cut off from her grandchildren for about nine years, and they did not get a chance to speak before her death.

‘The most gut-wrenching part is that Angelina kept the kids away from his parents, from their own grandparents,’ one insider alleged to the Daily Mail last August.

Pitt’s relationship with son Pax – who previously called his father a ‘world-class a**hole’ and accused him of making his younger siblings ‘tremble in fear’ – doesn’t seem to be any better.

A source previously told the Daily Mail how Pitt felt after the 22-year-old was pictured stumbling out of the Chateau Marmont last year, propped up by several friends.

‘He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn’t do. [Pax’s] actions reflect who he is,’ the insider said. ‘Brad honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable,’ they added.

The source went on to say that the actor doesn’t appear to be planning any outreach to either of his adopted sons: ‘Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel, and Brad has nothing to say about either of them.’

As for his other children, the source said that Pitt ‘holds out hope that the others will one day come around. Time heals wounds.’

A source close to Jolie also hit back at her ex-husband at the time and said: ‘Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them.’

‘He should stop blaming others. If he wants to rebuild a relationship with the kids, he should acknowledge his own actions and make amends.’ 

After meeting on the set of the 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith, Pitt and Jolie were seen as Hollywood’s ‘It’ couple during their long-term relationship.

They married in August 2014 during a secret ceremony in the South of France and welcomed three children together during their romance: Shiloh in 2006 and twins Vivienne and Knox in 2008.

They also adopted two more, Zahara and Pax, and Pitt legally adopted the son that Angelina had adopted before they got together, Maddox.

But in 2016, it came to an explosive end after the pair got into an alleged physical altercation while on a private flight with their six children and Jolie later filed for divorce.

Jolie later claimed that Pitt ‘choked’ one of the children during the horrifying dispute and ‘struck’ another in the face, leaving her and the youngsters feeling like ‘hostages’ and cowering in fear under a blanket for hours until they landed.

She also alleged that he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall, and violently shook her at one point during the flight – which resulted in her injuring her back and elbow.

Pitt’s representative called Jolie’s account ‘completely untrue’ to CNN at first, but then released an amended statement to the publication that read, ‘Angelina’s story continues to evolve each time she tells it.

‘Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. 

‘Thankfully, the various public authorities she has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.’

Since they split, the two stars have been embroiled in one of the most publicized legal battles in Hollywood history over custody of their children, as well as the winery that they once owned together.

In May 2021, after years of duking it out in court, Pitt and Jolie were officially granted joint custody of their six children, but one month later, the judge’s decision was thrown out.

Pitt has since moved on romantically and has been dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon for the last few years.