Szymon Marciniak has fervently refuted claims that he denied Barcelona a Champions League final berth against Inter Milan. Following a contentious performance that drew criticism from the Catalan media, with Mundo Deportivo wildly alleging a cosy relationship with Real Madrid, Marciniak staunchly defended his decisions.
Barcelona contend Inter's last-gasp leveller from Francesco Acerbi, precipitating extra time after Gerard Martin fell from Denzel Dumfries' challenge, was illegitimate. The La Liga leaders further argue a penalty should not have been granted when Pau Cubarsi tackled Lautaro Martinez, which Hakan Calhanoglu confidently converted.
Responding to the Catalan club's fury, Marciniak told Al Qahera dismissively: "What can I say about these stupid comments? I didn't wrong anyone." Unperturbed by news of Barcelona drafting a formal complaint to UEFA, Marciniak responded: "I'm ready for anything."
Additionally, Marciniak asserted: "Inter's third goal was definitely valid."
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said post-match at San Siro: "I don't want to talk too much about the referee, but every decision was in Inter's favour. I'm disappointed. I don't like talking about the referee. I told him what I thought, but I won't repeat what I said here."
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was analysing the game for beIN SPORTS, expressed his disappointment over the decision to award Martinez a penalty.
He criticised VAR, stating: "It was clear that Lautaro Martinez was looking for a penalty, and in my opinion, the referee made a mistake in the decision. He should see who touches the ball first, who reaches it first. It's Cubarsi.
"For me, it's clear that it's not a penalty, and you can't blow a whistle for a play like that, especially since it looked like a clean tackle. My position is clear: I'm against these decisions that distort football."
Meanwhile, Barcelona midfielder Pedri has called on UEFA to "look into" Marciniak's performance.
He stated: "It's not the first time this happens to us with this referee, UEFA should look into it. Every 50-50 for them. There are things that I don't understand and which are hard to explain."
Pedri also took issue with Marciniak for not booking Henrikh Mkhitaryan for his strong tackle on Lamine Yamal. He added: "In the penalty on Lamine, which was after given as a free-kick, there's no booking for Mkhitaryan, which would have been his second booking."