UEFA keeps the referee of the final despite being involved in a racist scandal – Spain’s News

10th of June The European season will come to an end with the culmination of the UEFA Champions League in the cross between Manchester City and Inter Milan. A golden brooch to the season that has been dotted with a loud scandal around the referee designated for the match.

The Never Again organization denounced that the Polish Szymon Marciniak, 42, participated as one of the speakers at the public event organized by Slawomir Mentzen, leader of the Confederation party, with roots coming from the extreme right. This event took place on May 29 and featured a beer tasting and networking organized by this group. This organization’s main slogan is a declaration of principles linked to anti-Semitism and homophobia: “We are against Jews, gays, abortion, taxes and the European Union.” Mentzen became known in 2021 precisely for a beer after launching the White IPA Mattersa mocks the Black Lives Matter movementa movement that preaches respect for the black community.

“We are shocked and appalled by Marciniak’s public association with Mentzen and his brand of toxic far-right politics,” said Rafal Pankowski, co-founder of Never Again. And he added: “It is incompatible with the basic values ​​of fair play such as equality and respect. We call on the referee to acknowledge his mistake. If he doesn’t, we think UEFA and FIFA should draw consequences.”

Faced with these accusations, UEFA hastened to issue a statement in which they assured that they would investigate the matter before deciding the steps to follow. “UEFA is aware of the allegations surrounding Szymon Marciniak and seeks urgent clarification. UEFA and the entire football community abhor the ‘values’ promoted by the group in question and take the accusations very seriously. We will announce a decision after reviewing all the evidence.” they affirmed.

UEFA confirms his appointment

Now, after listening to the referee’s explanations, UEFA has confirmed that Szymon Marciniak will continue to be the referee of the Champions League final between Inter and City despite the scandal that has dogged him in recent days for participating in an act with political and racist overtones in Poland. “Following Mr. Marciniak’s statement, UEFA acknowledges his deep apologies and clarifications. UEFA also contacted “NEVERAGAIN”, an NGO affiliated with the FARE network, which raised initial concerns about Mr. Marciniak’s participation in the event. They requested that Mr. Marciniak continue in his role as referee for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final, stating strongly that removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination. According to the information provided, UEFA confirms that Mr. Marciniak will fulfill his role as referee for the 2023 Champions League final,” they say in a new statement.