The choice is surprising, but ultimately logical. This Tuesday, Fifa revealed the name of the referee who will officiate during the Intercontinental Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Flamengo on Wednesday. This is the American Ismail Elfath, 43, who until now participated in the FIFA Arab Cup and was therefore present in Doha, where the meeting is scheduled.
The official is best known in his country, where he is one of the MLS refereeing executives. In total, he was on the whistle in 234 national championship matches, 18 of which counted for the playoffs. He also refereed several World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf zone (North and Central America), as well as three matches at the Tokyo Olympics, including the quarter-final between Japan and New Zealand.
His adventure in Qatar is not a first since Ismail Elfath was also present during the 2022 World Cup. He then refereed three matches, two in the group stage and a round of 16, won by Croatia on penalties against Japan. He has, logically, never officiated in a Paris Saint-Germain match. It will therefore be a great first this Wednesday.
