UEFA is set to drop Szymon Marciniak from taking charge of the 2024 European Championship opener encounter involving Germany and Scotland, following his apparent blunder in the UEFA Champions League.
Referee Marciniak was the man with the whistle for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League second-leg semi-final affair involving Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Matthijs de Ligt thought he had equalized for the Bavarian giants late on in the game.
However, his goal was controversially disallowed, after Szymon Marciniak blew his whistle for an offside decision before the ball struck the back of the net.
The flag went up early against Bayern defender Noussair Mazraoui, who was involved in the build-up to the goal after one of the referee’s assistants thought he was in an offside position.
Thomas Muller had subsequently nodded the ball into the path of de Ligt, who rolled it into the bottom corner.
However, with the whistle already gone and the referee restarting play, VAR couldn’t review the incident despite Mazraoui being shown to be marginally onside via replays.
Based on reports emanating from Poland, Marciniak’s country of origin, the referee was supposed to officiate the opening game of the European Championships, but UEFA is now said to be reconsidering his appointment.
The probability of Szymon Marciniak taking charge of the opening game of the European Championships is close to “zero”, following his seeming error in the Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich clash.
Thomas Muller and Thomas Tuchel Incensed By Decision Of Referee Szymon Marciniak In UEFA Champions League Semi-final Affair
Bayern Munich were furious by how Marciniak was hasty in blowing his whistle, with Thomas Muller and manager Thomas Tuchel voicing out their displeasure following the epic battle in Madrid.
Muller after the game at the Santiago Bernabeu, termed the Polish referee’s decision as “strange”, saying:
“Marciniak? He did not watch the video. He did not give himself the opportunity to look at it.
“It’s really strange, in such a situation, to whistle so fast. This often happens here in Madrid.
“I experienced this a few years ago, with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was before the VAR.”
Tuchel, who was also incensed by the decision of Szymon Marciniak, and has in the past also lambasted the referee during his time as manager of Chelsea, also had his say on the matter, expressing:
“To raise the flag in a situation like this where you can never, ever be sure that it is offside… to have the balls, to have the guts to raise the flag in a situation like this is a huge, huge call, and it’s the wrong call.”
Thomas Tuchel added that Marciniak had the opportunity “not to whistle” when he saw the attacking move made by Bayern Munich, but he chose otherwise.
The 50-year-old said: “The referee has the chance – when he sees that we win the second ball, and we win the rebound, and we get a shot away within five seconds – not to whistle. He takes the decision to whistle.
“It’s against every rule. We accept that we lost, it is what it is. But…that would not have happened on the other side.”
Szymon Marciniak
Moreover, referee Szymon Marciniak, who was born on January 7, 1981, is considered one of the best-rated international referees of his generation.
Marciniak was the man with the whistle for the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and he also adjudicated the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
The Polish referee also handled the 2018 UEFA Super Cup involving neighbors Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
In 2023/24, Szymon Marciniak was named “The World’s Best Referee” by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
