"After reflection and further investigation, it turned out that I was seriously misled and had complete ignorance of the true nature and affiliations of the event," Marciniak said in a statement released by UEFA.
The referee expressed his "sincerest apologies" for participating Monday in a congress organized in Katowice by Slawomir Mentzen, a far-right leader who said in 2019 that he did not want "Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxes and the European Union".
"I didn't know that (this event) was associated with a Polish far-right movement. If I had known, I would have flatly declined the invitation. The values promoted by this movement are totally contrary to my personal convictions and the principles I strive to defend in my life," Marciniak said.
UEFA, alerted Thursday by the association for the fight against racism and anti-Semitism Nigdy Wiecej ("Never again") and who had said to take the case "very seriously", has therefore confirmed the appointment of the Pole to referee Manchester City-Inter Milan, on June 10 in Istanbul.
The European body "takes note" of the "deep apologies and clarification" of Szymon Marciniak and claims to have contacted Nigdy Wiecej, who "requested" the maintenance of the arbitrator considering that his eviction "would harm the promotion of the fight against discrimination".
UEFA, itself criticized during Euro 2020 for refusing that the city of Munich illuminate its rainbow stadium to denounce the homophobic Hungarian laws on the occasion of Germany-Hungary, recalls its own commitment against "hatred, discrimination and intolerance".
In Poland, several voices were also raised in favor of Szymon Marciniak, who had refereed in December the final of the World Cup, won by Argentina. "He's the best referee in the world, respecting every person and ensuring that respect on the pitch and in life. He cannot be judged on the basis of one unfair opinion," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Twitter.
On Friday morning, the Polish Football Association (PZPN) said that "after speaking with the referee and examining the evidence gathered", it rejected "all accusations" against the referee.
"It comes out (...) that he does not know Slawomir Mentzen and has never spoken with him," PZPN said.
© 2023 AFP