Alan Shearer warns England about major FIFA change ahead of Argentina World Cup showdown

Alan Shearer has a word of warning for England ahead of tonight’s World Cup semi-final (Picture: BBC Sport)

Alan Shearer

fears history could repeat itself when

England

renew hostilities with Argentina in this evening’s

World Cup

semi-final.

The defending champions stand between the Three Lions and a place in

Sunday’s final against Spain

and the former England captain is confident

Thomas Tuchel

’s men have what it takes to progress.

Confidence and expectation has risen on the back of victories over Mexico and Norway in less than ideal conditions, while Argentina have hinted at signs of vulnerability throughout their campaign.

Aside from the obvious threat of the imperious

Lionel Messi

, Shearer has urged England to be mindful of tonight’s referee Ismail Elfath, as well as the shift in the way VAR has operated during the knockout stages.

Shearer, himself, was on the receiving end of some questionable refereeing when the teams last met in a knockout game back in 1998 when

David Beckham

was infamously given his marching orders for lashing out at Diego Simeone.

England are sure to be on the receiving end of some extreme provocation this evening and Shearer has warned England’s players they must keep their cool in the heat of battle.

He told the

BBC

: ‘It was an unbelievable night with everything that happened and, while I know I should be over it by now, I still don’t think the best team won.

David Beckham was sent-off for lashing out of Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup (Picture: Getty)

All eyes will be on Ismail Elfath (Picture: Getty)

‘What happened to us then should be a warning to England now, because these are the kind of games where tempers can boil over and affect the result.

‘I would not be surprised at all if we saw another red card this time too, but I am slightly concerned where the refereeing will be at, and how VAR might impact us.

‘It feels like there has been a huge shift in the narrative from referees and VAR as the tournament has gone on and there have been some bizarre decisions, including some that have gone Argentina’s way.

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‘The one that ruled out Egypt’s goal against them in the last 16, because of a foul at the other end of the pitch, was just astonishing and I just hope for both teams there is no more controversy in this tie.

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