World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak has revealed FIFA president Gianni Infantino jibed about the amount of money he spends during the tournament’s after-party in Qatar. Marciniak and his assistants have been widely hailed for their performances as Argentina beat France to become three-time world champions.
The Polish referee and officials Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz received a hero’s welcome in their homeland, meeting Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza at the governing body’s Warsaw HQ. After the meeting, the trio discussed the biggest day of their careers with a cluster of journalists waiting for them at the airport.
Speaking to Sport.PL, Marciniak lauded how his linesman correctly indicated that Lionel Messi’s extra-time goal fully crossed the line before Jules Kounde’s attempted clearance without needing goal-line technology. He revealed FIFA’s head of refereeing, Massimo Busacca, told them they were better than the sport’s technology after the game.
And the Pole also opened up on a conversation he had with Infantino in the aftermath, claiming he jokingly questioned why FIFA spend so much money on VAR and other technology while there are officials of his quality available. He said: “Even with Messi’s goal, where it wasn’t clear if the ball had crossed the goal line…
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“Before our watch started to vibrate with confirmation of information, Leaflet had already raised the flag. That’s why even Massimo Busacca laughed and said, ‘They are better than technology.’ Gianni Infantino also joked at the after-party, ‘Why does he spend so much money on technology when we do all this without whistling?’ It was nice.”
Marciniak also provided insight into how he and his assistants warmed down after what many have touted as the greatest World Cup final ever. And he explained how his refereeing idol, Pierluigi Collina, told him that he was, in fact, his role model after his display at the Lusail Stadium.
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“After the match, champagne and some catering arrived in the locker room,” Marciniak added. “I admit that I was so tired from the meeting that I had no strength for anything. There were some balls to sign, some photos had to be taken.
“Tom has already turned on his playlist. Massimo Busacca and Pierluigi Collina came. Collina knew he was always my idol. After this final, he told me, ‘Now you are my idol!’ It was the best thing I could hear.”
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