Szymon Marciniak will still referee the Champions League final next weekend after apologizing for speaking at an event held by far-right politician Sławomir Mentzen.
Marciniak claimed he had no knowledge that the May 29 event was associated with the Polish extreme-right movement.
Mentzen, the leader of the Confederation party, does not seem like a great guy! Per The Guardian:
Mentzen is widely known for launching the political slogan “We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union”. In 2021 he made international headlines as the producer of a beer named White IPA Matters, which mocked the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a statement released on Friday, UEFA said they “unequivocally reject the values promoted by a group linked to this conference” and that after a thorough review, they opted to keep Marciniak in charge for a June 10 clash between Man City and Inter in Istanbul.
UEFA shared a statement from Marciniak, who also refereed the 2022 World Cup final.
“I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused,” the Polish referee said.
“Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question. I had no knowledge that it was associated a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation.
“It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are entirely contrary to my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to uphold in my life. I am deeply remorseful for any perception that my participation may have contradicted them.”
UEFA added that the anti-racism group “NEVERAGAIN” raised the initial concerns about Marciniak and subsequently requested that he be retained for the match because “removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination.”
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