Champions League closing referee retains job after apologizing for ties to far-right chief

Polish soccer referee Szymon Marciniak apologized Friday for talking at a enterprise occasion tied to a far-right politician and was confirmed by UEFA to officiate subsequent week’s Champions League closing.

Marciniak’s appointment for the sport between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10, months after he refereed the World Cup closing in Qatar, was in danger Thursday after a Warsaw-based anti-racism group alerted UEFA to his convention look this week.

UEFA mentioned Friday it accepted Marciniak’s “profound apologies and clarification” and that anti-racism group Never Again had additionally then requested for the referee to be retained.

“I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused,” Marciniak wrote in an announcement revealed by UEFA, including he was “gravely misled and completely unaware” of the hyperlinks to Slawomir Mentzen, a frontrunner of the far-right Confederation get together.

“I had no knowledge that (the conference) was associated a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation,” the referee wrote. “I am committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that such lapses in judgment do not occur in the future.”

UEFA famous Never Again’s acceptance of the Marciniak apology and by “firmly asserting that removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination.”

“Based on the information provided, UEFA confirms that Mr. Marciniak will fulfil his role as the referee for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final,” the European soccer physique mentioned.

Marciniak is broadly seen because the world’s greatest referee and was supported Friday by Poland’s authorities as UEFA thought of eradicating him from subsequent week’s match in Istanbul. Polish media reported that Marciniak had been dropped by UEFA however efforts had been being made to revive him.

Marciniak wrote on his Instagram account late Thursday that he “never supported nor legitimized any political party, organization or individual politician.”

However, neither the Instagram submit nor an earlier assertion to Never Again supplied an apology or acknowledged the potential for an error of judgment.

Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk defended Marciniak earlier Friday. He wrote in a letter to UEFA circulated by nationwide media that the referee’s speech at an occasion this week had “nothing to do with politics.”

It was a “harmful manipulation,” the sports minister wrote, to hyperlink the referee to the politics of Mentzen, claiming the boys had not met round Marciniak giving a 45-minute speech of a “strictly business, motivational, and inspirational character.”

Mentzen, whose get together has promoted antisemitic, homophobic and sexist views, later used social media to reward Marciniak because the standout speaker on the networking occasion.

UEFA mentioned in an announcement Thursday “the whole football community abhor the ‘values’ that are promoted by the (political) group in question.”

The London-based Fare community, which helps determine racism and discrimination incidents at worldwide soccer video games, mentioned it welcomed UEFA’s fast intervention and the referee’s apology.

“If the challenges of discrimination and exclusion in football, and in our societies at large, are to be faced, clear leadership is necessary,” Fare chair John Olivieira mentioned in an announcement. “Football can’t be allowed to be seen as an area that tolerates extremism.

“We want to thank our colleagues Never Again in Poland for their vigilance. We deplore any threats to them or attempts to discredit them as a consequence of their work.”

The head of Never Again, Rafal Pankowski, advised The Associated Press it “has gotten a flood of hateful messages. It totally goes beyond anything we have ever experienced.”