UEFA star referee and whistle in the World Cup final between France and Argentina, Szymon Marciniak has been denounced by an anti-racist association for his presence at a far-right political meeting.
One week before the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, UEFA was forced to look into serious accusations against one of the world’s greatest referees. Szymon Marciniak, appointed to lead the meeting at the top of European football, is singled out for having participated in an event organized by Slawomir Mentzen on Monday. The latter is none other than the leader of a Polish far-right political party called “The Confederation”. Mentzen is known for attacking minorities, foreigners, and homosexuals. One of his party’s slogans is clear: ” We are against Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxation and the European Union “.
At the meeting which took place on Monday in Poland, Marciniak was not only present, but he also took the floor, mainly to discuss his success as a referee in a speech very far from being political, and focused on his career. . Nevertheless, this presence in a meeting organized by a far-right politician provoked the complaint of the anti-racist association “Never Again”, which asked UEFA about this disturbing presence in his eyes, especially when the he European body is considered to be very ineffective and concerned about the problems of racism in football.
Marciniak denies any link with the far right
The response was immediate, and an investigation was launched. ” UEFA are aware of the allegations regarding Szymon Marciniak and are seeking urgent clarification. UEFA and the entire football community hate the values promoted by the group in question and take these allegations very seriously. A further announcement will be made tomorrow, after reviewing all the evidence “Said UEFA, which suggests that the decision should therefore fall quickly. This presence of the Polish referee at such a meeting may in any case have difficulty passing, even if the local press tried to defend the game director, explaining that many speakers were solicited during this conference, without necessarily having to put them all in the same basket as the organiser. All the same, for the referee who officiated during the World Cup final between France and Argentina, it looks very bad, and could clearly call into question an incredible double that he thought he would achieve in leading the Champions League final.
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For his part, the referee quickly published a strong denial, denying any link with any political party and explaining that he had intervened without any desire to be associated with such ideas. ” In connection with today’s media reports, I declare that I have never endorsed or legitimized any party, political organization or individual politician and I strongly dissociate myself from any extreme, racist or anti-Semitic opinions, statements and actions. “said Szymon Marciniak.
