FIFA told to take immediate action after PSG fans discover who will referee their Club World Cup semi-final vs Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain fans have told FIFA to take immediate action after discovering who will referee their blockbuster Club World Cup semi-final clash against Real Madrid.
PSG and Real Madrid meet on Wednesday at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, following their victories over Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
The French giants, who won last season's Champions League, beat Bayern 2-0, while Real defeated Dortmund 3-2.
But their semi-final showdown has been clouded by controversy after PSG supporters have found out who will be in charge of the all-European battle.
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Poland's Szymon Marciniak will referee PSG vs. Real.
Marciniak is regarded as one of the best referees in football, having refereed the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France and the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
However, he was subjected to intense scrutiny after a dressing room video emerged.
After learning Marciniak will officiate PSG's crunch game against Real, fans online are convinced they will be on the wrong end of a controversial defeat.
One PSG fan claimed: "Why not just directly give the whistle to Florentino Perez @fifaworldcup_fr? What we’re going to experience on Wednesday lol, the match against Bayern was nothing compared to this, I think."
A second added: "Congrats to Real for the victory."
A third predicted: "We're gonna get robbed LOL."
Considering Luis Enrique's experience as a player and coach, he will be more concerned with his PSG team. They have won four of their five games at the Club World Cup, beating the likes of Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami and Bayern.
Real, on the other hand, are unbeaten in the competition, with Xabi Alonso's team winning four of their five matches - with their only blemish coming in the shape of a 1-1 draw with Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal in the group stage phase.
PSG or Real await the winners of Chelsea vs. Fluminense in Sunday's final.
What have players said about Szymon Marciniak?
Marciniak oversaw last season's thrilling Champions League semi-final clash between Inter and Barcelona.
The Italian side ran out 4-3 winners in the second-leg to secure a 7-6 aggregate victory.
But Marciniak's performance was slammed by star midfielder Pedri, who urged UEFA to 'look into' the referee.
"This isn’t the first time this has happened to us with this referee, and I think UEFA should look into it," he told El Partidazo de Cope. "There are things that are hard to explain. There were many situations: every 50/50 went their way, and on the penalty on Lamine, which was later called a foul - he didn’t give [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan a yellow card, which would’ve been his second."
Topics: Fan Reactions, Real Madrid, Football, FIFA Club World Cup, PSG
Nasir Jabbar