For the past ten or so hours, there has been confusion around football referee Szymon Marchiniak. The Pole was admitted by UEFA to the Champions League final. The behind the scenes of key decisions is really interesting.
Recall that Szymon Marciniak became a target, including the association “Never Again” after he spoke at an event organized by Slawomir Mentsen. Although the theme of the event was not related to politics, the association of a well-known referee with a politician of the Confederation caused confusion, in which, among other things, the UEFA European Football Association.
Szymon Marchiniak cleared for Champions League final
On Friday morning, important information about the fate of the Polish judge appeared. Firstly, Kanał Sportowy’s Tomasz Smokowski almost ruled out Marciniak’s ability to referee the Champions League final from “very well-informed sources”.
Fortunately for the Pole, the news from the journalist turned out to be false. UEFA published a special statement, which, among other things, said: the words of the Polish referee.
“As a professional deeply involved in the game of football, I want to emphasize my unwavering support for the values promoted by UEFA, in particular inclusiveness and respect for all people, regardless of their background. These rules are at the core of the spirit of football and are in line with my personal convictions,” said the referee from Płock.
Did Zbigniew Boniek play a key role in the negotiations with UEFA?
Behind the scenes of the decision of the European Football Federation in the Marciniak case was revealed by Tomasz Wlodarczyk. The journalist of the portal Meczyki.pl noticed how important Zbigniew Boniek played in the final position. Zibi, as UEFA vice-president, took an active part in the Marciniak case.
“The European Federation at some point actually decided to remove Marciniak. Since Thursday evening, around 17:00, UEFA believes that the Polish referee should be removed from the final in Istanbul. Everyone had to confirm this decision. However, then UEFA vice-president Zbigniew Boniek picked up the phone, standing up for the referee and lobbying for him not to be suspended. The rescue operation continues to this day. Marciniak himself had to do his part by issuing a statement. The intercession of the PZPN also helped,” we read in Wlodarczyk’s text.
In the end, everything ended well for the Pole. However, it was an extremely nerve-wracking hour due to the case of the Polish referee who was in charge of the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. Recall that the final match in the Champions League will take place on June 10. Manchester City and Inter will meet in Istanbul.
Source: Wprost
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at Daily News Hack for the past 1 year. I mostly cover sports news, but I also have a keen interest in current affairs and politics. In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with my family.
