Szymon Marciniak, the referee who officiated the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, has responded to criticism from French fans and media over the job he did during the game. The first Polish referee to officiate a World Cup final, Marciniak has been criticized for allowing an Argentinian goal to stand despite claims that he should have ruled it out.
French media has widely lambasted Marciniak for allowing Lionel Messi’s goal in extra time, stating that the referee should have topped play because two Argentina substitutes appeared to enter the field of play before the ball went into the net.
Major French news outlet L’Equipe referred to the International Football Association Board’s Law 3, paragraph 9 in their criticism of Marciniak, which states that a referee must disallow a goal if a substituted player is on the field of play at the time that it is scored.
In response to his critics, Marciniak pulled up a screenshot on his phone that showed seven French substitutes running onto the field in celebration of one of Kylian Mbappe’s goals. “The French didn’t mention this photo, where you can see how there are seven Frenchmen on the pitch when Mbappe scores a goal,” Marciniak stated.
The criticism of Marciniak’s refereeing resulted in the creation of a petition to replay the final, which has already amassed over 220,000 signatures.
