France-Argentina, referee Marciniak (Poland) –

He has only directed one international final, but not a real tournament, that is the European Super Cup three years ago between Real and Atletico Madrid. He had to give up last year’s European Championships due to some anomalies resulting from the medical tests carried out after he tested positive for the coronavirus. At the 2018 World Cup, however, it was rather short-lived after the management – the second and last in that tournament – deemed negative by Germany-Sweden in the group stage. Yet, it will be the Polish Szymon Marciniak who will referee the final between Argentina and France on Sunday, which will crown the new national team as world champion. His compatriots Sokolnicki and Listkiewicz will assist him, while Kwiatkowski will be at the Var; the fourth man will be the American Elfath, who could have been among the candidates for this challenge but has Moroccan origins. Marciniak in Qatar had already directed France-Denmark during the group stage and Argentina-Australia valid for the round of 16. He is the first Pole in history to direct the final act of the World Cup.

Identikit

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Polish, 41 years old, Marciniak has been international since 2011 and has been part of the UEFA elite group since 2015. His background as a footballer has favored his match management skills, proving to be particularly empathetic with the players. After a period of decline in recent years, which had also attracted a fair number of controversies also from Italy for his performances in the cups, he has established himself in recent seasons as one of the most reliable referees available to Collina and Rosetti, as is seen in Barcelona-Inter this season, kept in check despite the high tensions from the first leg.