The 2022 FIFA World Cup final between France and Argentina in Qatar will be officiated by Polish official Szymon Marciniak.
FIFA has employed Marciniak, 41, as a referee since 2011. He has presided over three matches at Qatar 2022, including France's 2-1 victory over Denmark in the group stage and the finalists' 2-1 victory over Australia in the pre-quarters.
"Being the referee in a World Cup final...it's unbelievable, to be honest. I'm very proud of myself and my team because, of course, it's not only Szymon Marciniak, it's a great team. We've been working forever and we are like family, we win together, we lose together sometimes", said Marciniak as per the FIFA website, referring to his assistant referees on Sunday, Pawel Sokolnick and Tomasz Listkiewicz.
The final appointment in the 2022 World Cup marks an incredible turnaround for Marciniak, who recently had some health problems that are thankfully now a thing of the past.
"I had a very difficult time for the last year and a half. I had Tachycardia, it's a heart illness. In the beginning, it was very difficult for me and I had to stop refereeing. I missed the UEFA European Championship, which for a referee, who is at their best age, it was a terrible feeling. Only I, and my team, know how difficult of a time it was for me. Now, life gives back to me and I cannot even stop smiling because it's a great feeling," expressed Marciniak.
Marciniak officiated at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and is now officiating at his second World Cup. He officiates frequently at FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Europe and at the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar in 2021. Marciniak has also presided over games in the UEFA Champions League, officiating the first leg of the semi-final encounter between Villarreal CF and Liverpool FC last year.
The Polish referee chose to try his hand at officiating after being sent off in a game and being inspired by his following talk with the official who gave him the red card. The Polish referee, who played football before becoming a referee, represented his hometown team, Wisla Plock.
"We spoke after the game, and he told me a very important sentence if you think this is easy work, go and try. You will see. I was thinking, why not? So, immediately I went for the course and started refereeing. I am grateful for him because if not for this red card I would probably never have become a referee," mentioned the referee.
( With inputs from ANI )
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