World Cup final official Szymon Marciniak was a “crazy player” who once told a referee that he was the worst he had ever seen after being sent off.
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The man entrusted with overseeing Argentina and France’s colossal clash in Qatar has admitted that he made life “very difficult” for referees during his time as a central midfielder in his native Poland, but his temper has been eased by tactics including playing music in his dressing room before games during his second career in the sport.
The 41-year-old once joked about refereeing the World Cup final. His experiences, which he has recounted with commendable honesty, should stand him in good stead once the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann hear the first whistle on Sunday.
Who is World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak?
Twelve days after taking charge of his second match at the finals, rising refereeing star Marciniak has been named as the man in the middle for the most prestigious match in football.
When he oversaw Argentina’s win over Australia, there were three fellow Poles in Marciniak’s officiating team: assistant referees Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, as well as video assistant referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski. They will join him again as part of the team for the final.
Argentina may see it as a good omen that both of the yellow cards Marciniak awarded during their 2-1 Round of 16 victory went to their opponents.
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Marciniak’s first game at the finals was France’s 2-1 win over Denmark in the group stage, when he booked Bleus defender Jules Kounde and two opposition players during the 90 minutes.
The only red card Marciniak has shown during 2022 came during a predictably fiery Champions League match between Porto and Atletico Madrid in September, when he awarded a second yellow card to the Portuguese side’s Mehdi Taremi for diving.
Szymon Marciniak World Cup 2022 record
| Date | Stage | Match | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 3 | Round of 16 | Argentina 2 Australia 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov. 26 | Group Stage | France 2 Denmark 1 | 3 | 0 |
Szymon Marciniak’s refereeing style
Marciniak’s World Cup appearances have produced a lower rate of yellow and red cards than his games in other competitions, although the small sample size makes it hard to draw conclusions and there is evidence that he will take tough decisions when necessary.
At his previous World Cup, in 2018, Marciniak did not award any cards in the first of the two games he refereed, when Argentina drew 1-1 with Iceland.
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In his subsequent game, Germany’s 2-1 win over Sweden, Marciniak gave Jerome Boateng his marching orders for a second yellow card following a late challenge in the 82nd minute.
