When Argentina and France faced off against one another last Sunday, Szymon Marciniak made history by being the first referee from Poland to supervise a World Cup final.
Referee of the World Cup final acknowledges making one error during Argentina vs. France
For the Pole who was forced to leave his position a year ago owing to a heart condition, it was a realization of a dream (after he was diagnosed with Tachycardia).
However, although video showed three Argentina replacements disobeying FIFA regulations by entering the field before the ball crossed the line, Marciniak came under fire from the French media for allowing Lionel Messi’s extra-time goal to stand.
The 41-year-old responded to his detractors by showing a screenshot of seven France players standing on the field after Kylian Mbappe scored his equalizing penalty in extra time. The referee had refereed his first World Cup game in Russia in 2018.
It’s interesting to note that Marciniak did acknowledge that his performance wasn’t flawless.
Of course, this final had errors. Following a poor tackle by Marcos Acuna, I stopped the French counterattack, the player told Sport.
“I was worried that the player who had been fouled wanted to relax, but I misread it because nothing occurred, and you may give an advantage and then return with a card. Being difficult. I take a mistake like that in a game like this in the dark. The crucial factor is that there were no significant errors, he continued.
A petition requesting FIFA to rerun the France vs. Argentina World Cup final in 2022 has received close to 2 lakh angry signatures. In the championship game, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties.
In response to what he claims to be the unjust penalty ruling in the France vs. Argentina match, a user of MesOpinions has sought a FIFA replay, stating that Kylian Mbappe, a key player for France, was fouled before to Angel Di Maria’s goal.