UEFA React After Barcelona Call For Referee to be Investigated Following Inter Match

UEFA have finally broken their silence regarding referee Szymon Marciniak following a wave of criticism from the Barcelona camp. The 44-year-old officiated Inter Milan’s dramatic 4-3 second-leg victory over the Spanish side in the Champions League semi-final, which sealed a 7-6 aggregate win for Simone Inzaghi’s men to set up a final against PSG in Munich on May 31.

Marciniak has come under heavy scrutiny from Barcelona, with Pedri calling for an investigation into his performance and head coach Hansi Flick claiming “every 50-50 decision” went Inter’s way. The backlash has been fierce, centred largely on his decision not to award a free-kick for a perceived foul on Gerard Martin in the lead-up to Inter’s stoppage-time equaliser – a moment that ultimately ended Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the final and completing a treble this term.

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Despite the uproar from Barcelona, however, UEFA’s response has been notably more supportive of the Polish official. Contrary to what the Spanish press might wish to have happened, the governing body has taken a far more measured and positive stance.

UEFA Issue Update on Szymon Marciniak

They saw no issue with his performance at the San Siro

UEFA found no fault with Marciniak’s performance, reaffirming their confidence in the Polish referee, who previously officiated both the 2022 World Cup final and last year’s Champions League final. According to MARCA, when asked about Marciniak, a UEFA spokesperson simply replied, “There is no problem.”

Interestingly, Marciniak is now seen as a leading candidate to referee the upcoming final between Inter and Paris Saint-Germain, especially with fellow top official Clement Turpin ruled out due to his French nationality. He is also set to feature at the revamped Club World Cup in the United States this summer.

Having officiated 674 matches across European and Asian competitions, he remains one of UEFA’s most trusted referees. See his full career statistics below:

The confirmation that Marciniak is still a trusted referee by his employers may come as a huge sigh of relief for the Pole, who had to deal with false news stories coming out about him taking part in an interview in retaliation to allegations made by Barcelona. A Middle Eastern outlet ran quotes claiming Marciniak he had, which then made its way quickly to Spanish reports, but Polish outlet Przegląd Sportowy Onet responded and clarified no such interview had been given.

“The statements published by the Egyptian and Spanish media, which resonated strongly on social media, turned out to be a big lie,” the outlet said. “A referee is not allowed to make post-match comments about decisions he has made. As Szymon Marciniak himself informed us , no such statement took place.”

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 09/05/2025)