Ismail Elfath
Born |
Casablanca, Morocco | March 3, 1982||
---|---|---|---|
Other occupation | Corporate Business Consultant | ||
Domestic | |||
Years | League | Role | |
2012– | Major League Soccer | Referee | |
International | |||
Years | League | Role | |
2016– | FIFA Listed | Referee |
Ismail Elfath (Arabic اسماعيل الفتح, born March 3, 1982) is a Moroccan-born American soccer referee for the Professional Referee Organization. He has been a referee in Major League Soccer since 2012 and a FIFA listed referee since 2016.
Early life[]
Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Elfath moved to the United States when he was eighteen.[1]
Career[]
Elfath was first a Fourth official in MLS in 2011 and made his MLS refereeing debut in 2012.[2] Elfath became a FIFA listed official in 2016.[3]
Elfath was the referee during an August 2016 match between New York Red Bulls II and Orlando City B where the worldwide first on-field Video Assistant Referee review took place as the system was being tested in USL.[4]
On March 26, 2019, Elfath was selected to referee the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.[5] Elfath along with American assistant referees Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins was selected by FIFA to officiate the final of the tournament, which Ukraine won 2-1 over South Korea.[6]
On May 17, 2019, Elfath was appointed to officiate in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States following his participation in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[7]
Later that year Elfath took charge of the Semi Final match at the FIFA Qatar 2019 Club World Cup. [8]
On November 18, 2020, Elfath was named the MLS Referee of the Year for the first time in his career.[9]
In July 2021, Elfath took charge of 3 matches at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics including a quarter final match between host nation Japan and New Zealand. [10]
Elfath was chosen as one of the two referees from CONCACAF for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon from 9 January to 6 February 2022.[11]
References[]
- ^ "Ismail Elfath: From Casablanca to FIFA Referee- Dreams Become Realities". MALA. July 18, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Ismail Elfath – Professional Referee Organization". Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ FIFA.com. "Education & Technical - Referees by Association". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, NICHOLAS MURRAY- (August 18, 2016). "PRO's Elfath Part of 'Ever-Evolving' History". USL Championship. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Three U.S. Soccer Referees Selected to Officiate at 2019 U-20 World Cup". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Concacaf referees earn another distinction with FIFA Under-20 World Cup Final assignment". www.concacaf.com. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Match Officials Appointed for 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup". www.goldcup.org. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Ismail Elfath – Professional Referee Organization".
- ^ "Ismail Elfath named MLS Referee of the Year". www.mlssoccer.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ismail Elfath – Professional Referee Organization".
- ^ "La liste des arbitres retenurs par la caf le Benin absent". beninwebtv.com. December 14, 2021.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/11/19/ismail-elfath-named-mls-referee-year
External links[]
- 1982 births
- Living people
- CONCACAF Champions League referees
- CONCACAF Gold Cup referees
- Major League Soccer referees
- American soccer referees
- American people of Moroccan descent