• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Szymon Marciniak 'breaks silence' as Barcelona call for UEFA to investigate referee over Inter Milan result

Home> Football> Football News> Champions League

Updated 11:15 8 May 2025 GMT+1Published 10:59 8 May 2025 GMT+1

Szymon Marciniak 'breaks silence' as Barcelona call for UEFA to investigate referee over Inter Milan result

The Polish referee took charge of Inter vs Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals second leg on Tuesday (May 6).

Luke Alfred Davies

Luke Alfred Davies

The referee who took charge of Inter vs Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals second leg on Tuesday has spoken out after some Barca players publicly questioned his decisions.

Szymon Marciniak took charge of the entertaining clash, which saw Inter progress to the Champions League final with a 4-3 win over Barcelona (7-6 on aggregate), meaning they will face PSG in Munich on May 31.

After Tuesday’s game, several Barca players questioned Marciniak after he awarded a first-half penalty to Inter for Pau Cubarsi’s challenge on Lautaro Martinez.

Advert

Barca were also adamant that Inter’s late equaliser shouldn’t have stood after Gerard Martin was felled by Denzel Dumfries.

Barca midfielder Pedri was particularly annoyed with some of Marciniak’s decisions at the San Siro and made his feelings clear after the game.

"It's not the first time this has happened to us with this referee, UEFA should look into it," Pedri told reporters.

Advert

"Every 50-50 for them ... There are things that I don't understand and which are hard to explain."

When pressed on the specific incidents, he explained: "In the penalty on Lamine [Yamal], which was after given as a free kick, there's no booking for [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, which would have been his second booking."

"I have come three times to Inter's stadium and extraneous things always happen that don't go our way," Barca defender Eric Garcia said.


Advert


However, former FIFA referee Rafał Rostkowski leapt to Marciniak’s defence and shifted blame towards the VAR assistant.

Supposed quotes dropped via a Middle Eastern outlet, claiming that Marciniak had spoken out about his decisions, although the referee has since claimed the quotes were not true in another interview with Polish outlet Przegląd Sportowy Onet.

Advert

"The statements published by the Egyptian and Spanish media, which resonated strongly on social media, turned out to be a big lie," the outlet wrote. "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."

But, not everyone agrees with his decisions, with former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger explaining how Martinez was “looking for a penalty” and that the “referee made a mistake”.

“It was clear that Lautaro Martinez was looking for a penalty, and in my opinion, the referee made a mistake in the decision,” Wenger told beIN Sports.

“He should see who touches the ball first, who reaches it first. It's Cubarsi.

Advert

"For me, it's clear that it's not a penalty, and you can't blow a whistle for a play like that, especially since it looked like a clean tackle. My position is clear: I'm against these decisions that distort football."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Champions League, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Football

Luke Alfred Davies
Luke Alfred Davies

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Ex-FIFA referee spots major VAR 'error' in Inter vs Barcelona as UEFA urged to investigate
  • The truth about Inter v Barcelona referee as UEFA urged to investigate Champions League semi-final decisions
  • Barcelona paper makes staggering Real Madrid claim about referee for Inter defeat as UEFA told to investigate
  • UEFA issue update after Barcelona demand investigation into referee Szymon Marciniak following Inter defeat

Choose your content:

an hour ago
3 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Jurgen Klopp makes his feelings clear on Trent Alexander Arnold being booed by Liverpool fans

    Klopp is back in Liverpool this weekend as part of his role as an ambassador for the LFC Foundation.

    Football
  • 3 hours ago

    Exclusive: Kaka names shock player in Ballon d'Or conversation alongside Lamine Yamal, Mo Salah and Raphinha

    The 2007 winner of the prize mentioned a surprise name who should get "recognition" after an excellent season with his club.

    Football
  • 11 hours ago

    Scott McTominay's weekly salary at Napoli 'leaked' after winning Serie A title and Man Utd fans will be in disbelief

    The Scotland international is living the Scudetto dream in Naples

    Football
  • 12 hours ago

    Scott McTominay’s immediate reaction to Serie A title win has emerged and it speaks volumes

    The Scotland international has become a Napoli legend

    Football