What to expect in Sunday’s derby of the Prague S, which will be commanded by a group of Polish referees led by the main judge Szymon Marciniak? Quite possibly a penalty. On average, the penalty kick blows more often than in every third match.
“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but they whistle a lot. VAR also plays a role now, “Czech midfielder Martin Pospíšil, who has been playing in the Polish Jagiellonian Bialystok for over four and a half years, nods for Sport.cz.
In 2016, S. Marciniak organized 3 matches within the European Championships in France, including the Czech Republic – Spain. 2 World Cup duo 2018, UEFA Super Madrid Super Cup – Atletico Madrid (2018). He has been on the FIFA list since 2011, 5 LM matches this season and most recently on February 16, 2022 Inter Milan – Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/tVpkhz0T7i
– FOOTBALL REFEREE (@FacrRozhodci) March 2, 2022
The penalty kick was broken down, for example, by the semifinals of the Arab Cup between Qatar and Algeria, which Marciniak decided less than three months ago. In this match, he signaled that he would add nine minutes beyond the original playing time. However, the penalty, thanks to which Algeria won 2: 1, ordered a setting in the fifteenth minute. In total, more than eighteen minutes were played over time.
The head of the FIFA jury, Pierluigi Collina, then stated that the announced nine-minute setup was in order due to delays in the second half. He did not evaluate the performance of the Polish arbitrator more.
Marciniak pays for a very capable referee, for the European extra class. “At present, there is no such good judge in Poland or the Czech Republic,” Pospíšil is clear. He is convinced that the bald man with a whistle can handle Slavia’s fight with Sparta. “Germany or Poland, I immediately thought he would be chosen. He is really good, he is used to hard matches in Poland,” adds the 30-year-old midfielder.
He has been kicking in Jagiellonia since the summer of 2017, during which time he met Marciniak several times. They respect each other. “I have a good relationship with him. We already know what to expect from each other. It radiates enormous professionalism. He is very communicative, human, he does not rise above anyone. He has a natural respect. It can be seen that he has already played a lot of big matches. He’s my favorite judge here. I have to say that I am happy when he whistles our matches, “praises Pospíšil. At the same time, he points out that the referee whistles a lot of fouls.
“He is rightly one of the best and most respected judges in Poland. He has a feeling for the fluency of the game and a natural respect for players and coaches, “adds Czech coach Vítězslav Lavička, who led Vratislav until March last year.” And beware, he often orders penalty kicks, “he also points out penalties.
Marciniak already knows Eden, he managed the finals of the European Twenty-One Championship in 2015 between Sweden and Portugal, he also judged Slavia’s match against Inter Milan (1: 3) in the Champions League more than two years ago. He hadn’t met Sparta yet. The national team whistled at the European Championships in 2016 against Spain (0: 1).
He has 32 matches in the Champions League, and in the current season he has led, among other things, Liverpool against AC Milan (3: 2), Manchester United with Atalanta Bergamo (3: 2) and the spring round of 16 between Inter Milan and Liverpool (0: 2).
By the way, after some Liverpool duels in the past, his name resonated strongly, the coach of the traditional English team Jürgen Klopp twice did not understand his meter. First, after a 1: 2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the fall of 2018, the German coach complained.
“In England, we have won the fair play award three times in a row and we look like butchers here. We have six yellow cards and we were not far from red. Yes, one or two were yellow, but the others seem incredible to me. The referee looked unprepared, “Klopp said angrily.
For the second time, he did not like Marciniak’s performance in the spring of 2020 in the round of the Champions League in Madrid against Athletics. Liverpool lost 0: 1. Klopp received a yellow card for his speech, which he accepted after the match. He also indicated that the judge’s constant atmosphere and the pressure that was pouring in from the stands.
On the contrary, he heard praise, for example, after the quarterfinals of the Champions League in August 2020 between Leipzig and Atlétik Madrid, which the German team won 2: 1.
What reactions will the Polish referee, who according to his words was a heavy player for the referee, get after the Sunday derby of the Prague rivals?