Simon Marciniak (Poland), who was the referee in the 2022 Qatar World Cup final, issued an apology after being embroiled in a fierce controversy at an event hosted by a far-right politician. He maintained his qualification as a referee for the UEFA Champions League final.

According to the BBC on the 2nd, Marciniak attended a conference in Katowice, southern Poland, on the 29th of last month. The conference was hosted by Slavomir Menchen, a politician classified as a far-right in Poland. After attending the event, anti-racism groups and others asked Marciniak to explain how he attended the conference. 온라인카지노

“The investigation has made it clear that I had no idea of the nature of the event,” Marciniak said in a statement. “If I had, I would have refused the invitation. “It is important that the value promoted by the organizers does not match my beliefs,” he apologized.

After confirming their official apology for attending the event, UEFA decided to retain Marciniak’s decision to referee the 2022-2023 UCL final. Marciniak was assigned as a referee for the UCL final between Manchester City (England) and Inter Milan (Italy) at 4 a.m. on the 11th in Korean time.

Marciniak played as the referee in the Qatar World Cup final last year and became a hot topic by dismissing the “misjudgment controversy” that erupted shortly after the match.

At that time, Argentina won the match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium in Qatar 4-2 after a neck-and-neck race to a penalty shoot-out, but Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) scored in extra time was claimed to be invalid. French newspaper Requiff pointed out that the scene where Argentine bench members entered the stadium just before Messi scored was a violation of regulations, raising suspicions of a “misjudgment.”

In response, Marciniak returned to his home country of Poland after the World Cup and responded in an interview with local broadcasters, saying, “Seven bench members came to the ground even when France scored a goal,” adding, “It’s not all about finding such a scene.”