FC Barcelona will face Inter Milan on Tuesday in search of qualification for the UEFA Champions League final with the obligation to win at the Giuseppe Meazza. The outlook could not be more adverse for the 'culés' once the refereeing appointment for the match is known.
And it is that UEFA chose none other than Szymon Marciniak to referee the second leg of the Champions League 'semi's'. Barça and Inter arrive tied after the 3-3 draw in Montjuïc, so, in the event of another draw, there will be extra time in Italy.
In that context, justice will be in the hands of the referee who starred in the controversial derby between Atlético and Real Madrid in the round of 16 (1-1, 2-4 p.). The Pole disallowed the second penalty of the shootout for the 'colchoneros' after a non-existent double touch in Julián Álvarez's kick.
Although the action clearly required review on the monitor, Marciniak did not hesitate to sanction a double touch that, weeks later, it was proven that it never existed. The Argentine striker slipped at the moment of the shot, but his goal was legal.
🚩Marciniak should not referee in the Champions League anymore, but...
In this way, UEFA has decided to reward the Polish referee with nothing more and nothing less than a Champions League semi-final, although the 44-year-old referee should clearly have been excluded from European competitions, at least for the rest of the 24/25 season.
And it is that Marciniak not only did not review the controversial penalty of Julián Álvarez in the Madrid derby, but he also helped Madrid to get into the Champions League final in 2024.
In the second leg of the 'semi's' against Bayern Munich (2-2), one of his assistants rushed to sentence an offside to disallow a goal by Matthijs de Ligt that would have forced extra time.
A couple of years earlier, in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Chelsea (2-3), Marciniak had also disallowed a legal goal by Marcos Alonso that would have consummated Madrid's elimination.
❌The VAR pair, another headache for Barça in Milan
To make matters worse, Dennis Hingler and Pol van Boekel will be in the VAR, who already harmed Barça on a visit to Inter Milan in 2022 with two absurd mistakes that allowed the 'nerazzurri' team to take the victory (1-0).
In the match corresponding to the third matchday of the group stage, the Dutch duo, from the VOR room, disallowed a legal goal by Pedri after an involuntary touch of the ball on Ansu Fati's hand.
In addition, the referees turned a blind eye to a very clear penalty handball by Denzel Dumfries after a shot by Ansu in the second minute of added time. They also did not warn of a very clear red card for a criminal tackle by Hakan Çalhanoglu on Sergio Busquets.
In the previous matchday, against Bayern (2-0), Van Boekel also did not call a clear penalty by Alphonso Davies on Ousmane Dembélé prior to the first goal of the Bavarians in Munich.
As things stand, Barcelona will have to deal with a refereeing team that is totally biased against them to try to advance to the final of the Champions League. There is no other option. To win in Milan, it will have to be done with authority.
⚽How Barcelona has fared with Szymon Marciniak as referee
In total, Szymon Marciniak has refereed five Barça matches in his career as a referee. The first was in the 2016/17 season, in the first leg of the round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain (4-0), where Luis Enrique's team were clearly outplayed.
That same season, in the quarter-finals, the 'azulgrana' team would be thrashed again in the first leg against Juventus (3-0), again with the Pole as the main referee. Then, in 2018/19, he directed two other matches for the 'culés'.
The first, in the group stage against Inter at the Meazza (1-1) and, the second, in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Olympique de Lyon (5-1). The last time Marciniak directed Barça was also against Inter (3-3), in the group stage of 22/23.
In this way, Barcelona has 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats with the 44-year-old referee in the Champions League. The balance is clearly negative, with 9 goals in favor and 12 against.
The 5 Barça matches in the Champions League with Marciniak as referee
- 🔴Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Barcelona. First leg of the round of 16 of 2016/17.
- 🔴Juventus 3-0 Barcelona. First leg of the quarter-finals of 2016/17.
- 🟡Inter de Milán 1-1 Barcelona. Matchday 4 of the group stage of 2018/19.
- 🟢Barcelona 5-1 Olympique de Lyon. Second leg of the quarter-finals of 2018/19.
- 🟡Barcelona 3-3 Inter de Milán. Matchday 4 of the group stage of 2022/23.