Dhe UEFA is investigating allegations by an anti-racism group from Warsaw against final referee Szymon Marciniak a week before the Champions League final. The European Football Union takes this very seriously, the association said on Thursday evening at the request of the German Press Agency and called for “urgent clarification”. “After examining all the evidence” will follow a further message. The final between Manchester City and Inter Milan will kick off in Istanbul on June 10 (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League, on ZDF and on DAZN).
Speaking to the Przeglad Sportowy newspaper on Thursday evening, Marciniak said as a longtime referee, “fairness and respect for others always come first and I want to pass those highest values on to others”. He “always distances himself from racist, anti-Semitic and intolerant statements,” said the Pole.
“I always say ‘stop the hate’ and will promote that the most important thing is to be a good person.” The Polish Ministry of Sport quoted Minister Kamil Bortniczuk of the national-conservative ruling party PiS. “I am in contact with referee Szymon Marciniak. The denunciation case is a big manipulation.” They will contact UEFA and give a statement in support of referee Marciniak, it said.
The association “Never Again” had previously asked the referee to distance himself from “right-wing extremist activities”. In essence, it is about the alleged participation of the Pole in a corresponding event of the politician Slawomir Mentzen from the right-wing national and Eurosceptic party “Konfederacja”. Mentzen is considered the new face of the party and is very active on social networks. “We don’t want Jews, homosexuals, abortion, no taxes and no EU” – that’s how he summarized his party’s program in 2019.
“UEFA and the entire football community abhor the ‘values’ promoted by the party in question and take these allegations very seriously,” UEFA said in a statement. Marciniak (42) is considered one of the top referees in world football. At the last World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022, he officiated the final between Argentina and France.
Meanwhile, England referee Anthony Taylor has been severely harassed at the airport when leaving Budapest for the Europa League final, according to videos and reports. “We are appalled at the unjustified and despicable abuse that has been leveled at Anthony and his family,” the English Premier League Association of Professional Referees said on Thursday evening. Videos on social media showed the incident, but Taylor himself did not initially comment.
The referee was insulted after Sevilla FC’s penalty shoot-out victory over AS Roma, especially by Roma coach José Mourinho. The Portuguese had waited for Taylor in the underground car park of the Budapest final arena and, among other things, called him a “disgrace”. Mourinho faces a penalty from UEFA.
