Current 2022 FIFA World Cup referee, Ismail Elfath, did a Q&A with us back in 2020 describing his experiences as an MLS referee. He is also PAYSL’s very own! Elfath is the assistant coach for PFC Select’s 2005B Green team under head coach, Yossef Al-Mashouq. Learn more about him below:
Ismail is an MLS referee who made his debut in 2012, and became a FIFA-listed official in 2016. He was the first ref to officiate a game with the new VAR system. He has also officiated the World Cup U-20 final (2019), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (2019), the Club World Cup (2019), and now the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In addition, he has officiated some of the best players in the world, including David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and many more!
Elfath at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Q: How did you become a ref?
Ismail: By accident, really. I played every weekend and one day, I was mad at the referee and I went to complain, so they told me, “Why don’t you try it?”
Q: How physically fit do you have to be to be a pro ref?
Ismail: As fit as a professional mid-fielder.
Q: What is the best experience that you remember within the MLS, positive and negative?
Ismail: My first game in Montreal, the MLS All-Star game with Tottenham, and my 100th match with all my family in attendance.
Q: How are you keeping fit during the past few months?
Ismail: Our sports science team at PRO assigns us daily workouts and tracks our fitness using monitoring devices.
Q: Have you ever made an incorrect call? Did you realize you were wrong and what did you do afterward?
Ismail: Many times. If possible, I try to admit to the players that “I might have gotten that one wrong.” At home, I self-evaluate in order to learn and do better.
Q: Who is the best player you have ever officiated?
Ismail: Thierry Henry and Ronaldo
Q: When you watch a game of soccer, do you tend to watch the ref and his decision making or can you just switch off and watch the game?
Ismail: I can never switch off really.
Q: How was it sending off Zlatan?
Ismail: It was just like sending off any other player (only after I realized that the whole world knew, haha).
Q: Who is your favorite team?
Ismail: The referee team
Q: What would your advice be to a young referee interested in becoming a ref?
Ismail: Do it for the money to start, then you will love it as a challenge, then you will enjoy the people and the places you will go… then you can have the best seat in the house for the game we love. Be humble, be patient, and control the controllables (your fitness and professionalism).
