and players won’t be the only ones feeling the nerves during tonight’s – referee Szymon Marciniak will also be under the spotlight at the Etihad.
The experienced referee has been selected for the mouthwatering game which has so much riding on it, with Manchester City looking to take a whilst the Spanish giants are eyeing a .
Marciniak will be keen to ensure tonight’s game passes without controversy, unlike last week’s first leg at the Bernabeu, with in the build-up to City’s equaliser.
But who exactly is Marciniak? Let’s take a look at the referee for Manchester City vs Real Madrid this evening.
Who is Szymon Marciniak?
Marciniak began his career as a professional referee in 2006, taking charge of his first top-flight Polish league game in 2009.
The official has been listed since 2011 and he has refereed multiple fixtures since then, establishing himself as one of the very finest referees in the game.
The clash at the Etihad will be the seventh Champions League game he has taken charge of this season, which included Napoli’s 1-1 draw with in the quarter-finals.
Marciniak became the first Polish referee to officiate a final when he took charge of Argentina vs France back in December.
The 42 year-old received widespread praise for his expert handling of the big game – even if he was slightly critical of himself after the final whistle.
Marciniak told : ‘Of course, there were mistakes in this final.
‘I interrupted the French counter-attack after a bad tackle by Marcos Acuna.
‘I was afraid that the fouled player wanted to unwind, and I read it wrong because nothing happened, and you could give an advantage and then come back with a card.
‘It’s hard. In a game like this, I take such a mistake in the dark. The important thing is that there were no big mistakes.’
A petition launched in France calling for the final to be replayed received over 200,000 signatures, citing grievances with Argentina’s first two goals.
Previously, Marciniak was forced to sit out of Euro 2020 after being diagnosed with tachycardia, a condition which involves the heart beating abnormally fast.
Marciniak was chosen for the UEFA Super Cup Final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in 2018.
He refereed two group stage games at the World Cup in Russia four years ago, whilst he also officiated two group fixtures and one Round of 16 matches at Euro 2016.
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