Szymon Marciniak’s future is uncertain. Will the referee join Polish footballers?
Szymon Marciniak finds himself in a difficult situation. The Pole, who has refereed only one match at Euro 2024 so far, may end his participation in the tournament prematurely. All because of a recent mistake.
There are only eight matches left until the end of the group stage of the European Championship in Germany, after which the weakest teams will return home. However, before the tournament enters its decisive phase, UEFA will have to choose the refereeing staff for the next rounds. The future of Szymon Marciniak, who has only taken to the pitch once so far, is still hanging in the balance. Did he do well enough then to be appointed referee in key matches?
Euro 2024: A successful performance with two flaws
Although Szymon Marciniak was among the 19 main referees of the championship, he had to wait until the ninth day of the tournament to make his debut on German pitches. The referee then led the Group E match between Romania and Belgium. The Pole performed well in it, but did not avoid controversial situations. In the second half, one of the Belgian players touched the ball with his hand, but the whistle was silent. Additionally, when Kevin De Bruyne scored, Marciniak was accused of not whistling a foul on the Romanian goalkeeper.
As it turned out, this was the first and last group stage match led by Szymon Marciniak. Although it seemed that the referee from Płock was being spared from key matches, UEFA may make a shocking decision. According to information provided by Rafał Rostkowski, the tournament organizers are considering sending the Pole home.
The aftermath of the recent scandal
According to the TVP Sport expert, Marciniak’s exclusion from the rest of the tournament was allegedly caused by an error during the semi-final match of the Champions League between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. At that time, the referee stopped the Bavarians’ action too quickly, which deprived them of the chance to score an equalizer. This mistake caused huge emotions and greatly influenced the refereeing of the opening match of Euro 2024, which was ultimately given to Frenchman Clement Turpin.
According to Internet users, dropping the Pole would be a shot in the foot for the tournament organizers. The previous referees (in particular Marco Guida, Slavko Vincic and Halil Umut Meler, who was the referee in the clash between the Poles and the Austrians) performed very poorly, making many incorrect decisions. Sending Marciniak, who recently officiated the World Cup final, could significantly affect the future image of the event in Germany.
