The referee who took charge of the Champions League semi-final second leg between Inter Milan and Barcelona has allegedly been punished by UEFA after not being appointed as the man in the middle for the final in Munich. The Nerazzurri came out on top in an all-time classic that finished with a record-equalling 7-6 aggregate score across both legs.
The Italians threw away a two-goal lead and looked to be heading out before a last-minute equaliser from Francesco Acerbi and an extra-time winner from Davide Frattesi. However, the match was marred by controversial decisions made by official Szymon Marciniak, and following complaints from Barcelona, the Polish referee has missed out on taking charge of the biggest game of his career.
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Despite being the frontrunner to officiate when Inter Milan face PSG on 31 May, Marciniak has missed out on the opportunity to take charge of the biggest match in the club footballing calendar. Instead, Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs has been appointed for the final. According to a report from Spanish publication Sport, this decision is directly linked to Marciniak’s performance at the San Siro.
The report states that several high-profile and controversial decisions made during the semi-final—many of which left Barcelona furious—ultimately cost the Polish official. In particular, the penalty awarded against Pau Cubarsi and possible mistakes in the build-up to Inter’s first and third goals were said to have weighed heavily against him.
As a result, Marciniak will also not be involved in either the Europa League or Conference League finals, with Felix Zwayer and Irfan Peljto assigned to those fixtures, respectively.
The moment in question for the third goal involved Denzel Dumfries, with Barcelona fans claiming he had fouled Gerard Martin just before Acerbi’s dramatic equaliser. However, rules expert Christina Unkel backed the referee’s decision, stating that a clear and obvious error had not been made.
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Claims were made after the semi-final that Marciniak had told Middle Eastern publication Al Qahera that he had done nothing wrong during the tie and that he was 'ready for anything' should UEFA decide to investigate him following the historic semi-final. However, the referee reached out to Polish outlet Przegląd Sportowy Onet to deny that he had ever said such a thing.
"The statements published by the Egyptian and Spanish media, which resonated strongly on social media, turned out to be a big lie," the article stated. "A referee is not allowed to make post-match comments about decisions he has made. As Szymon Marciniak himself informed us, no such statement took place."