Masip revives the controversy over Marciniak's refereeing in the Inter-Barça match: "He threatened Araujo"

The performance of the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak in the match between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona (4-3) continues to generate great controversy. The referee has received a barrage of criticism from various sectors, with most agreeing that several of his decisions were, at the very least, questionable and harmed the Azulgrana team.

From within the Catalan club, there has been the most criticism against the referee. Players, the coach, Hansi Flick, and even the president himself, Joan Laporta, have shown their dissatisfaction with what happened in Milan. As the days go by, new voices join the debate.

Enric Masip denounces unequal treatment by Marciniak in the Inter-Barça match

On this occasion, it was Enric Masip, advisor to Joan Laporta and a man of utmost confidence within the club, who spoke about the refereeing. Within the framework of the 'NACEX Challenge', a charity paddle tennis and golf tournament in favor of the Luzón Foundation, the former handball player did not hesitate to assert that "there was a very clear difference in treatment between the two clubs".

In turn, he revealed an episode that occurred in the first minutes of the match that shows, according to him, the referee's bias: "Everyone has their opinion of what they saw. In the 3rd minute there was already a very strong tackle on Dani or Lamine and the referee went very abruptly to the bench, told Flick to move away and I think he threatened Araujo. Seeing what had happened in Milan with this referee, who was in the VAR... Maybe sometimes coincidences don't happen for no reason," he warned.

"The referee went very abruptly to the bench, told Flick to move away and I think he threatened Araujo"

Masip insists on the difference in refereeing criteria

The director delved into the criticism, pointing out the contrast in the criteria used during the match: "The whole match was tough on Inter's part. I know it's easy to blame the referees, but when we talk about criteria it must be the same for everyone. If there are complicated situations in the areas, you have to analyze them in the same way. Maybe there was no intention, but there was a very clear difference in treatment between the two clubs."

"Maybe there was no intention, but there was a very clear difference in treatment between the two clubs"

The pressure of the environment, another key factor

Masip also alluded to the environment as a factor that may have conditioned Marciniak. "I have been an athlete and I know that there are referees who, depending on the environment, are more biased towards the home team. The pressure from the public is noticeable. Good referees are not affected by this, but he was chosen. Everyone is as they are," he said.

Finally, Masip recalled that this situation with the referees is not an isolated event: "Generally, we talked about it just before the Copa del Rey with all the mess there was, we don't like to talk about the referees. The coach gives orders to the players to try not to protest. Although obviously you can't avoid certain things. There are other clubs that are more effective with continuous protesting. That's not the case with Barça," he pointed out.

"There are other clubs that are more effective with continuous protesting. That's not the case with Barça"

Masip also assessed Barça's season and the upcoming Clásico

Beyond the controversy, Masip wanted to highlight the team's performance during the season: "The team has shown its face, has entertained and is the team that has played the best football. We have a project for many years to come. The word that is heard the most is pride," he commented.

Regarding the upcoming Clásico, Enric highlighted its relevance in the fight for LaLiga: "Now it's time for a very important match that we have on Sunday in which you play a large part of the League and the importance of the match also means that, if you play with a team of less importance, it would probably affect you more, but I think it's a match that we have ahead of us in which we will have a physical wear that Madrid will not have, who has had a clean week, but I think that the team will go out with the mentality of winning, with enthusiasm and as this team has done that has risen from difficult situations," he concluded.