Austin's Ismail Elfath has accomplished more than any other American soccer referee, this year becoming the first to lead an all-American referee crew in a FIFA World Cup semifinal. He's now leaving the profession he loves to give back to the people and the city he loves.
Through the years, Elfath built working relationships with some of the biggest superstars of sport, powerful political players, and some of the wealthiest people.
But from the top of the sporting world, he would humbly return to Austin.
He's worked the 2022 and 2026 World Cup; Olympic Games in Tokyo; Copa America, South America's top international tournament; and the Champions Cup for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
He's refereed for the top leagues in Saudi Arabia and Japan, plus more than 200 Major League Soccer matches across North America. Forbes magazine calls him a U.S. soccer all-time great.
Raised in bustling Casablanca, Morocco, Elfath arrived in Austin in January 2001. He was 18 years old with only $200, but he had a plan.
"Learn English, go to UT, help my family," he said.
Elfath first moved to Nueces Street west of the University of Texas campus. He found two familiar places: the campus mosque (still on Nueces) and Zilker Park.
"It was the only place you could find soccer at the time," Elfath said. "So, within the third day, I was playing some pickup soccer at Zilker Park. And then the mosque, which is a place of faith and refuge that was also familiar to me ... Without those two places, I think I probably would have had a far more difficult period of adaptation."
He attended Austin Community College, then studied mechanical engineering at UT while working nights at a hotel.
Refereeing wasn't the plan. He was always at odds with referees as a player in pickup games, and later with the Austin Men's Soccer Association. Elfath thought the refs weren't doing enough.
"I felt I was kicked around a little bit more, so I always complained," he said.
He would break down the referee's mistakes for their supervisor on the sideline, until they suggested he try the job himself. He ignored the advice, but eventually gave in.
Elfath's reputation evolved from a hot-headed player to a calm, even-keeled referee. He says prevention is the key.
"Smell it before the bubble grows," Elfath said. "And that looks something like that guy just looked at the other guy the wrong way. You can ignore it, or you can do something with it. Because it's usually micro-interactions that build up."
Elfath honed his craft over two decades while maintaining a day job, currently serving as chief revenue officer for technology company Brightfin. Now, at just 44 years old, he says he is walking away from refereeing for three reasons.
"Number one, I humbly believe I've succeeded at achieving everything I set out to achieve," he said. "Having been part of a World Cup final and a semifinal, which is more than any referee has ever done before, being in those two games."
The second reason for the father of two is family.
"Being a professional referee, international referee, I averaged about 150 nights in some hotel versus at my house every year for the last 10 years," he said.
His last reason for retirement? He's ready to give back to the city and the sport that gave him so much.
He currently coaches a youth league team, but it is highly likely you'll see him take the field with a whistle soon.
"There is zero chance that I will live without refereeing in some sort of capacity," he said.
His most urgent message is about the referee shortage at the youth and recreational levels of soccer. For adults, he says, the job can be "the best seat in the house." For teenagers, many of whom work youth games, it can be harrowing because of fan criticism, some of which crosses a line.
"Yelling at an adult is one thing; yelling at a child is another thing," Elfath said. "It is a cancer in our sport, and it's why the numbers are low."
"I can tell you exactly what it is," said Randy Martinez, a South Texas referee and mentor based in New Braunfels. "It's called referee abuse."
Martinez, who has a thick skin after years on the pitch and in the military, says younger referees often don't know how to handle it. Mentors and coordinators can help, but with so many games across such large areas, they can't always be there, and some new referees quit after a single weekend.
His plea: Go easy on the young ones. And as for him?
"Give me a chance first, and then tell me I suck," Martinez said.
Elfath asks everyone around the game to do three things: 1.) Thank the referee and mean it. 2.) Don't stay a quiet witness to abuse; call it out, politely. And last:
"Absolutely do try it!" Elfath said. "It's half a day clinic, and you have a badge, and you can referee ... they'll see the enjoyment and ... [it] is pretty addictive."
To hear the full conversation with Ismail Elfath, listen to this week's episode of ¡Vamos Verde!
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