Szymon Marciniak, regarded as the best football referee, has been appointed by UEFA to officiate the Euro 2024 match between Belgium and Romania on Saturday. This match marks the debut of the 43-year-old from Płock in the German-hosted tournament.
Assisting Marciniak on the lines will be Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik. Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas will serve as the fourth official for the Group E clash, while Tomasz Kwiatkowski will oversee the VAR system.
Marciniak, along with German referee Daniel Siebert, had the longest wait to officiate at Euro 2024. Both will make their tournament debuts on the ninth day, with Siebert officiating the match between the Czech Republic and Georgia. Some referees have already officiated two matches.
Marciniak returns to the European Championship after eight years. In 2016, he officiated three matches, but health issues kept him out of the 2021 tournament. Recently, he has been recognized as one of the top referees globally, having officiated the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France and five matches across the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He also refereed the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
Earlier this year, Marciniak faced controversy in the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich (2-1), with significant complaints from the German side post-match. Saturday’s game in Cologne is crucial for Belgium, who started their Euro 2024 campaign with a 0-1 loss to Slovakia. Romania, on the other hand, unexpectedly defeated Ukraine 3-0.
As Marciniak takes the field, all eyes will be on his performance in this high-stakes encounter.