Polish referee Szymon Marciniak is in charge of the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.
Marciniak was given the honour of refereeing the World Cup final in December, which passed largely without controversy. He was the first-ever Pole to referee a World Cup final and his assistants that day in Qatar, compatriots Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, are on hand again tonight to run the line.
FOLLOW LIVE: Man City vs Inter Milan LIVE: Champions League final score and latest updates
However, Marciniak has not been without controversy off the pitch. He managed to keep his role in charge of the final after apologising for appearing at a far-right event in Poland last month, having spoken at an event organised by far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen.
He said in a statement: “I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused. 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 [with] 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 said: “After conducting a thorough review, we have received a statement from Mr Marciniak expressing his deepest apologies and providing a clarification regarding his involvement in the event.”
The 42-year-old refereed the second leg of City’s semi-final win against Real Madrid and has taken charge of seven other Champions League fixtures.
Here is the full officiating team for the Champions League final:
2023 Champions League final refereeing team
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)Assistants: Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz (both POL)Fourth official: Istvan Kovacs (ROM)Reserve assistant: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROM)VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)Assistant VAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)VAR Support: Marco Fritz (GER)
When: Saturday 10 June, 8pm BST.
Where: Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul.
Odds (after 90 minutes)
Man City win: 4/9
Inter win: 6/1
Draw: 15/4
