Topline
Europe’s top soccer body, UEFA, will allow Polish referee Szymon Marciniak to officiate the Champions League final—one of the year’s biggest sporting events—after he apologized for speaking at an event organized by a far-right politician in his country, following racist incidents at European soccer events in recent months.
The Referee Szymon Marciniak of Poland reacts during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match … [+]
Key Facts
Marciniak, 42, spoke at an event in his country late last month organized by far-right political leader Slawomir Mentzen, prompting a complaint against him that jeopardized his participation in the Champions League final.
Marciniak apologized for speaking at the event, saying he was unaware of its links with a far-right leader and said he “wholeheartedly condemn any form of hate, discrimination, or intolerance,” according to a statement issued by UEFA.
UEFA said it acknowledges the referee’s “profound apologies and clarification,” and he will remain in charge of refereeing the final between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul next weekend.
The European soccer governing body also said it had reached out to the Polish anti-racism organization NEVER AGAIN—who had brought the issue to UEFA’s attention—and said the group asked for Marciniak to remain as the referee since they believed “removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination.”
NEVER AGAIN said it appreciated Marciniak’s “clear statement” condemning racism, xenophobia and intolerance, adding that it had not advocated for his removal from the final.
Surprising Fact
Last year, Marciniak served as the referee in the FIFA World Cup Final game between Argentina and France.
News Peg
The controversy around the Champions League finals comes on the heels of several racist incidents taking place during recent soccer games in Europe. Last month, Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Júnior who plays for the Spanish club Real Madrid halted a Spanish league game between his club and Valencia after some fans from the rival club were making racist gestures and remarks against him. While addressing the incident and outlining plans to fight racism, LaLiga president Javier Tebas repeated a racist slur that was used to target the Brazilian star. Belgian soccer player Romelu Lukaku was at the receiving end of racist remarks from the fans of Italian club Juventus while playing against the team in an Italian Serie A for rival club Inter Milan. Lukaku was then handed a red card later in the game after celebrating a goal by mocking the racist fans in the crowd, prompting anger from commentators.
Tangent
The far-right leader Mentzen does not currently serve as a lawmaker in Poland but he is the chairman of the New Hope party which holds three seats in the Polish parliament. While campaigning for the 2019 European parliamentary elections, Mentzen promoted what he called the five points of “Confederation”—an alliance of far-right Polish parties—saying: “We do not want Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/06/02/referee-for-one-of-soccers-biggest-events-wont-be-replaced-after-speaking-at-far-right-event/