Champions League
Who is Szymon Marciniak, referee for Atalanta vs Real Madrid Champions League clash?
Poland’s experienced Szymon Marciniak has been appointed by UEFA to referee Tuesday’s UCL meeting in Bergamo.
UEFA have confirmed that one of their most experienced officials, Poland’s Szymon Marciniak will be the referee for Tuesday’s Champions League matchday 6 clash between Atalanta and Real Madrid in Bergamo.
Top rated UEFA official
The Pole is one of the top-rated referee at present and oversaw Argentina’s penalty shootout victory over France in the 2022 men’s World Cup final, becoming the first Polish referee to be entrusted with the tournament’s trophy decider.
In June 2023, Marciniak was also the first Pole to referee the men’s Champions League final. He took charge of the clash in Istanbul, which saw Man City beat Inter Milan 1-0, despite UEFA conducting a probe into his participation in an event with links to a far-right movement prior to the game.
Marciniak apologised for his attendance at the event in Katowice, saying in a statement: “Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question.
“I had no knowledge that it was associated [with] a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation.”
A FIFA international referee since 2011, Marciniak first officiated in the Ekstraklasa, the top flight of men’s league in Poland, in April 2009. He made his Champions League debut in September 2014 and has has refereed at two World Cups - 2018 and 2022 as well as overseeing two matches at Euro 2024.
In both 2023 and 2024, the Polish official he was named “The World’s Best Referee” by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
Tuesday will be his third UCL game this season after refereeing PSG-Arsenal and Sporting CP-Arsenal in match days 4 and 5 respectively.
Marciniak will be supported by fellow Poles, Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik on each line with Tomasz Kwiatkowski set to keep an eye on matters in the VAR booth.
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