Szymon Marciniak under fire after Inter – Barça!

Europe 07 May 2025 at 05:07

Mohamed Rek

News Editor

Polish international referee Szymon Marciniak is facing fierce criticism following his performance in the Champions League semi-final second leg between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona (4-3), played yesterday at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.

The match, a thrilling rollercoaster packed with drama, was overshadowed by several controversial refereeing decisions. The most hotly debated moment came when Inter were awarded a penalty after contact between Pau Cubarsí and Lautaro Martínez. Meanwhile, the Catalans were denied a penalty for a suspected handball by Francesco Acerbi in the 26th minute, sparking outrage from Barcelona's players and coaching staff.

Despite their wholehearted effort and a heroic display from Hansi Flick's men, Barça crashed out on aggregate, 7-6. A cruel scenario for the Blaugrana, in what will go down as one of the most memorable semi-finals in the competition’s history.

Furious reactions from the Catalan camp

Barça head coach Hansi Flick didn’t hide his frustration in the post-match press conference:

“We gave everything, but sometimes the result doesn’t reflect our efforts. Certain decisions clearly penalized our team. I spoke to the referee, but I’d rather keep that to myself.”

Young midfielder Pedri was even more blunt:

“UEFA should look into this referee (Marciniak). It’s not the first time with him. There are a lot of things I just don’t understand.”

“I completely agree with the coach. Every single contentious situation, the referee sided the same way.”

The Catalan press erupts

The Catalan media didn’t hold back. Sport headlined:

“Marciniak determined to end the dream of a heroic Barça,” branding the refereeing as “catastrophic.”

The paper nevertheless praised Inter’s performance, emphasizing that their clinical finishing made the difference against a brave and spectacular Barça side.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo relayed the words of defender Iñigo Martínez:
“Everyone saw that the decisions always went the same way.”

The daily also recalled that, according to some reports, Marciniak is known to have friendly ties with Real Madrid, which has further fueled suspicions of biased officiating.

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