Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has been appointed to referee the Champions League final between Inter Milan and Manchester City on 10 June in Istanbul. But he risks his job. Because he took part in the demonstration of a Polish far-right party. Known for his xenophobic, racist and anti-Semitic positions. It was the association that called Marciniak into question Never Again are Facebook. The Polish anti-racist organization reported on the demonstration by Slawomir Mentzen, known for his five-point slogan: “We are against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union.” Marciniak attended a Mentzen event in Katowice on May 29th. The meeting, entitled Everest, served to promote his political agenda ahead of this year’s elections in Poland.
In one of the posters of the event, Marciniak can be seen dressed as a referee. The far-right Konfederacja party was inspired by the name of the southern states of the United States, which stood up for slavery during the American Civil War. The party attacks ethnic minorities, refugees, homosexuals and women’s rights. Mentzen also produced a beer that was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, but calling it “White IPA Matters”. Currently the polls give him 10% of the votes. But his popularity is high especially among young people. «We ask the referee to admit his mistake. Otherwise, we believe that the football government must draw the consequences”, concluded the Never Again spokesmen.
Marciniak was born in Plock, a city in the Masovian voivodship where there was a Jewish community, which was then almost completely exterminated during the Holocaust. International referee since 2011, he officiated the World Cup final in Qatar. A few hours ago the same association has published a response from the referee: «As an international football referee for many years, I always put fair play and respect for other human beings first and I want to pass on these highest values to others. I have always called myself out of racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance. I always say no more hate and I will always argue that the most important thing is to be a good human being.” Will it be enough?
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