Polish referee Szymon Marciniak is allowed to keep his place as the referee of the final match of the men’s Champions League. In the final on 10.6. Manchester City and Inter Milan meet in Istanbul.
Soccer referee Szymon Marciniak was at the center of an uproar on Thursday when it was revealed that he had participated in a Polish far-right politician Slawomir Mentzen to organize an event. Marciniak was one of the speakers at the event.
Mentzen leads the Polish multi-party Confederacy coalition, which is considered to belong to the radical right.
Mentzen is known for the slogan he said in 2019 “We are against Jews, gays, abortions, taxation and the European Union”. In 2021, Mentzen was in the headlines as the producer of a beer called White IPA Matters. With it, he mocked the Black Lives Matter movement.
The European football association Uefa said yesterday that it is aware of Marciniak’s case and is investigating the matter.
– Uefa and the entire football community are horrified by the “values” promoted by that group, and we take these accusations very seriously.
The event organized in Katowice was advertised as a networking event for influential people. Marciniak was said to have been the most famous public figure to accept Mentzen’s invitation.
Marciniak’s appearance at the event was highlighted by a Polish anti-racism NGO.
– We are horrified by Marciniak’s public association with Mentzen and Mentzen’s toxic far-right politics, founder of the organization Rafal Pankowski said.
Pankowski said that the organization does not require the Polish referee to be removed from the Champions League final, but hoped that Uefa and Fifa would investigate the matter and that Marciniak would admit his mistake in participating in the event.
On Friday, Marciniak said he was “severely misled” and “totally ignorant” of the political aspects of the occasion. Uefa has also released Marcini the entire statementin which he regrets his participation in the event.
Marciniak stated that if he had been aware of the event’s far-right connections, he would have “categorically refused the invitation”.
– It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are completely against my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to follow.
Marciniak also wrote that he was ready to accept the possible consequences of his participation.
Polish Minister of Sports Kamil Bortniczuk defended the referee. In his letter to the UEFA president To Aleksander Ceferin Bortniczuk said the business conference had nothing to do with politics and that the referee gave a 45-minute inspirational speech at the conference.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Uefa