PUNCH
The referee that officiated the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, Szymon Marciniak, has said he made a mistake during his officiating at the Lusial Stadium.
The Poland referee has been widely praised by both football lovers and professionals for his topnotch officiating of the final match between Argentina and France, that saw the Lionel Messi-led Argentina side lift the trophy after an electrifying 120 minutes football that ended in a penalty shootout.
Marciniak on Saturday admitted that his widely praised officiating was not completely error-free.
According to the Express UK, French media had slammed him for allowing Messi’s extra-time goal to stand because three Argentina substitutes broke FIFA rules by entering the pitch before the ball crossed the line.
Marciniak fought back by presenting a screenshot of seven France players standing on the pitch when Kylian Mbappe netted his equalising penalty later in the game.
While he tackled the game’s big decisions excellently, he has however admitted that his performance wasn’t completely error-free.
“Of course, there were mistakes in this final,” he told Sport PL.
“I interrupted the French counter-attack after a bad tackle by Marcos Acuna.
“I was afraid that the fouled player wanted to unwind, and I read it wrong because nothing happened, and you could give an advantage and then come back with a card.
“It’s hard. In a game like this, I take such a mistake…
