Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has been honored with the most important game for a fotball referee, he will be in charge of 2022 WC Final.
17 December 2022 - Third Place Game
Game 63 - Al Rayyan (16:00 CET)
CROATIA - MOROCCO
CROATIA - MOROCCO
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Neuza Back (BRA)
Video Assistant Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Offside Video Assistant Referee: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Support Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)
Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
18 December 2022- Final
Game 64 - Lusail (16:00 CET)
ARGENTINA - FRANCE
ARGENTINA - FRANCE
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL) (POL)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto (VEN)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto (VEN)
Offside Video Assistant Referee: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Support Video Assistant Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Corey Parker (USA)
Redemption
ReplyDeleteBig Congrats and ,,Chapeau" to Mariciniak. Excellent tournament, two games, well deserved. Hope to see high level performance, as I make habit when Szymon is in question. Well done!!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE to see that. We must say that's well deserved appointment considering what Simon presented in this year. In almost every match he was faultless and great managing the game. Keep my fingers crossed for his performance at BIG FINAL!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Szymon, well deserved!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing referees get appointments that they deserve. Performance should be the only factor to consider, nothing more
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Marciniak!!!
ReplyDeleteHe might not have the best palmares out of the UEFA referees attending the tournament (no CL/EL final, etc) but he was the one who came in the best shape.
Bjorn Kuipers with 1000 final but he didn't get WC FINAL.
DeleteThat's a rule you invented but in real life rule can be broken.
Great appointment voor Marciniak. Well deserved!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Szymon!
ReplyDeleteMarciniak will wear red, confirmed
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Szymon! You have overcome many difficulties and worked really hard to finally get your reward. And it's the best reward you could imagine! Poland will be proud of you forever (of course, normal people ;))
ReplyDeleteOf course, congratulations to the whole team as well! Sokół, Liściu and Kwiatek, celebrate the day!
Appears 3rd Place spot has also been decided. No surprise with this one. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's little doubt Taylor would be the most reliable option for Sunday's championship match. Arguing that he could not be appointed for the final because there's an ongoing "war" between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands is pure hogwash. Elizondo officiated Portugal-England in the 2006 WC QF match!
ReplyDeleteIn practice, there's no real consequence from this dispute, which pretty much belongs to History books rather than Realpolitik. Based on that reasoning, FIFA would have a really hard time finding "suitable" refs in any tournament.
I can now bring up issues that have become something of a hot button, sparking heated diplomatic rows between France and Poland. Earlier in April, Macron called Polish PM 'a far-right anti-Semitic' , somehow linking Poland to Nazi crimes, with Poland summoning the French ambassador in the country over Macron's remarks.
Look, stuff like that has no place in football (sports in general), otherwise it would be simply impossible to make any appointments. Let's set this straight - ARG don't accept any other referee. Marciniak is the only one left who's been given a green light by ARG. And this is a sickening attack on independent refereeing. Of course the French FA will see Marciniak as the guy chosen by ARG, which only puts extra pressure on Marciniak, something totally avoidable. Collina is the one to blame for this widespread notion that ARG hold sway over the entire FIFA Ref Committee and they want to give Messi the big title he lacks in his last WC dance.
Can you stop commenting on poltiics? Taylor did not get a knockout game and is not possible for the final.
DeleteWhy not possible for the final?? Because he did not have a KO game? LOL Then why was he kept there until the last appointments came out?
Delete@RefSoccer3412, I comment on what I think is relevant and I just can't bear hypocrisy. Stop commenting on my comments. Simple as that.
DeleteSaid Belqola officiated the 1998 WC final without any KO appointment. Mazic officiated the 2018 CL finl without any KO appointment. Enough with cynical excuses.
DeleteThe no-KO-game argument used by so many readers is very questionable! Apart from the Belqola example one could question why a Round of 16 game weighs so much heavier than for example a matchday 3 mutual decisive game.
DeletePeople on here tend to speculate so much, and sell their opinions almost as the holy truth, while having no idea what’s really going on in FIFA’s Refcom.
Having said that, IMO Szymon Marciniak without a doubt is a worthy referee for this World Cup’s final. Good luck to him!
I have never seen someone run out of ideas just for being "in love" with a referee, god
DeleteTaylor did not make the final.
Clever.
Politics no longer has any importance, Marciniak will make the final and that's the only thing that matters.
@diego612, it has all to do with politics. That you cannot see through it is your problem.
DeleteRefeering and nominations for the matches are mostly based on politics, that's true...
DeleteTaylor could handle the final, but yes, there is unwritten rule that the referee for the final should have at least one KO game before the final... Yes, we had Belqola in 1998, but it was the only exception. Taylor stayed in Qatar like a reserve referee, that's all. And yes, there are rumours that Argentina has problem with english referees. I don't like the situation, that Argentina probably "can chose" the referees for its own matches. It is very strange that Argentina has mostly european referees in WC games and on this tournament the refeeres from Europa only.
Argentina – France
ReplyDeleteReferee: Szymon Marciniak (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Reserve AR: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
AVAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
OVAR: Kyle Atkins (USA)
SVAR: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
SAVAR: Corey Parker (USA)
Croatia – Morocco
ReplyDeleteReferee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Reserve AR: Neuza Back (BRA)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
OVAR: Bruno Pires (BRA)
SVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
SAVAR: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Congratulations to Szymon!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Marciniak, but i can't accept that this appointment is fully deserved. I know this is unpopular opinion. He did have a great tournament, no doubt, but i think that WC final is something that should also be based on a whole carrer of a referee. It should come as a reward after constantly beeing on top, year after year, and after achieving milestones that build up to that biggest appointment in football. Marciniak IMO doesn't fit in that picture. He doesn't have any major final so far in his career and just last year he couldn't make a cut into continental championship because of big dip in form. This is not my animosity thowards him, i think he is a great ref, one of the best in the world right now, just that his career path is not one worthy of the WC final. It also must be noted that three lucky factors for him, that eliminated other candidates, contributed to his appointment. Those are mistakes/bad performances (Faghani, Lahoz), teams in the final (Turpin, all South Americans) and bad management (Orsato).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good luck to him and his crew. He definitely has a quality to do excellent match, worthy of a WC final
>He doesn't have any major final so far in his career and just last year he couldn't make a cut into continental championship because of big dip in form
DeleteThe reason for his absence in EURO 2020 was health issues, not "big dip in form" as you've described
If appoint a referee have to based on the whole picture their career, I must say this is unfair for a referee who did the best job in the tournament, such as Marciniak in Qatar. It is those well-known referees "fault" to miss the opportunity getting the final. There is no reason to use other excuses for compensation. There are only two candidates who are deserved getting the final: Marciniak, Oliver (Orsato as well but he did the SF).
DeleteWe keep focusing on "Final" experience. Based on my own career, this tournament, and MANY others, QF and SF matches are generally much more challenging than the Final.
DeleteThe latter is more prestigious, but usually (Howard Webb's game excepted) easier.
Marciniak has refereed flawlessly in this World Cup. It is correct to designate the best here and now. It is not a lifetime achievement award. It is a guarantee for the contenders.
DeleteI don't think it is a "guarantee" for both contenders :P
DeleteThank you for your comment, Filip, for expressing a different point of view! I think it's something interesting to think about, I find myself agreeing with many of your points. The problem is, many of the other candidates simply failed at their auditions this tournament. Really, this should have been Faghani's final, a repeat of his EXCELLENT France vs Argentina knockout game for years ago... but sadly, he could not be retained after that awful decision change from looking at the screen.
DeleteI also think the management of referees this tournament has been quite peculiar. Seeking to maintain confederational neutrality as long as possible, and due to the backloaded schedule of games which were therefore "eligible" to UEFA referees, I felt that the scheduling / planning of many referees was suboptimal: Marciniak and Valenzuela only getting one GS game, both Englishmen debuting so late and then only having 2 days rest before their second match, etc. I feel like there is a lot to criticize about the management choices here. Perhaps if Marciniak had been tested a third time, he too would have struggled as Lahoz did in his third match. Perhaps if that happened, and if Orsato had been better managed (or, to be more blunt, had he been not affected by the stupid politics that probably prevented the final from going to an Italian again), then maybe the best referee at this tournament would have had his deserved final.
Indeed, Marciniak has been near-perfect this tournament, but one cannot deny that he has had a remarkably easy path so far. France-Denmark was a very simply game apart from a few key incidents, and while he did well to nail those, that game was never going to sink a referee like i.e. POR-URU or NED-ARG. Argentina-Australia was a more challenging game. But still, it's only two. 90-120 more minutes can present more problems; in many ways, it is a blessing to receive such few assignments. Perhaps if Lahoz had been so lucky, the final would be his!
Congratulations to Marciniak ! Good luck for the final on Sunday ! :)
ReplyDeleteTomasz Listkiewicz's father, Michal, was the 2AR in 1990 WC final
ReplyDeleteWow!
DeleteCuriosities: Listkiewicz father was an assistant in the 1990 final, now, the son Tomasz will be an assistant in the 2022 final.
DeleteAnd pure politics designing the name of the ref for the little final again. After not getting even a knockout game. Does that show how much the little final... No, I dont finish thatone. Good luck to the lucky Qatari. Just that. I'm out.
ReplyDeleteYes, I said before Al Jassim staying to the end is a "substitution" for Faghani. Faghani probably was the first choice for the final, so after his suspension get Al Jassim "the little final" instead.
DeleteI think that Marciniak deserves this appointment, glad to see Elfath here as the fourth official after his two great performances. I agree Elfath could the final candidate in 2026, it would be probably the first time one person participate in two WC finals.
Ramon Barreto Ruiz was an AR in two consecutive finals; 1974 and 1978
DeleteMac: Thank you for that information, I can't remember... :-)
DeleteI think that originally a UEFA referee was not planned for this final, surely the first name considered by Collina was Faghani. Unfortunately for the Iranian, he spoiled himself with that penalty. This allowed in my opinion committee to think to a different name. In all cases my opinion is that it is hard to believe that they could have immediately consider Elfath for the final in this edition of the tournament, the first for him, even more after the poor first performance, but the assignment as fourth official for the final shows us how trust seems to have committee in him and the next World Cup will be surely THE CHALLENGE for Elfath.
ReplyDeleteAbout the specific choice of Marciniak, apart from his excellent form in UEFA competitions in recent times (and I think this was the first criterion by Collina), the origin of this selection can be found back in 2015 and even before, some years earlier, when the Polish was a rising star in UEFA refereeing. And who was the head of committee promoting him and following him closely? Collina... he observed him in occasion of 2015 UEFA Under 21 EURO Final. I think you can find the reasons of the choice by Pierluigi starting from that date.
After that, Marciniak started with a terrible period in his career, when he looked to be more (exclusively?) concentrated and focused to Saudi Arabia trips than UEFA refereeing. A few later, Collina left committee and they didn't meet again.
I think that Collina was quite surprised by the management of Rosetti about the Polish in recent times, indeed if you ask me, the consideration is totally different. It is simply unbelievable that the Polish didn't get EL final, at least, last season. Said with all respect for Vincic, but this was a full nonsense. Now the Polish I think will be more than satisfied with what he has achieved.
Last but not least the health issues that prevented him from officiating at EURO, surely this was the most sonorous absence.
Congratulations to him for having passed this extremely poor period fore returning back at the top, the choice by Collina for me is also based on that, given that first reason is current form.
Let's also not forget how much he did well in Arab Cup one year ago, even though there had been some controversial decisions involving Qatar, if I remember correctly, but this was absolutely not a problem. I remember a reader of the blog, don't remember the name, that asked, aftre that tournament, if the issues he had experienced could have affected WC 2022. Well, now we have a clear answer and I was sure. Final remark about his participation to previous WC, rather a controversial one, but still two further games of experience to come finally at this big game in 2022.
Enjoy the appointment, Szymon, I think you made a big country like Poland extremely proud.
Faghani surely wasn’t the first name. He was impeccable for 2 very tough games before making one wrong decision (which he even called right on the field). I know about the politics but if he was planned for very big things, Collina would have given him benefit of the doubt for one mistake; maybe not final but he wouldn’t have been sent home. To compare Elfath had various bad decisions in his first game and is now involved in the final
DeleteI'm so happy for Marciniak. I've always been a huge fan of his, and in my mind should have been a reasonable contender for the CL final as far back as 2020. I thought of him as an outside contender for this final before the tournament started. As you said, I thought going in Faghani would make the most sense (since we've had an Italian referee only eight years ago, and Daniele Orsato would be the obvious #1 from Europe). After those two, Makkelie was third choice, but I disagree with his penalty decision in the Arg - Pol, so I don't think he deserved the final. Congratulations to Marciniak, well deserved appointment.
DeleteI don’t know how many of you in here are also English, but one thing I have noticed on twitter is how proud and happy Polish people are to see Marciniak represent Poland in this game. There was a little bit of support to Webb and his team in the 2010 final, but I guarantee if Taylor was appointed (I know it was unlikely) there would be hardly any congratulations. Instead it would just be “how has he got this game” “bald c*** hates Chelsea” etc etc. It’s a big shame
ReplyDeleteMe being English I think what you are saying could be true. And thats sad. Because all the positive messages and congratulations from Poland will make it a more popular hobby amoung teenagers there, and stimulate young referees to become a better referee (and therefor better person). That's what is needed in England to stop the decline of applying candidates. And the praise in the media and on social media (and IRL) would create more respect for referees. And btw saying stuff like 'bald c***' is of course an alright disgrace. But we have Oliver for the next 4-8 years. And what he showed at this WC was really positive so let's hope he get's his concratulations when it is his time (and I'm quite confident it will: UCL,UEL, EURO or even WC final)
DeleteBefore the announcement you could still find a lot of Poles (Polish league enjoyers, true masochists) shitting on Marciniak, because he made some mistakes in the past. I presume, those haters are quiet now
DeleteBe sure that many supporters of Polish clubs laugh at and criticize the appointment as well. Just blind fanatics like everywhere.
DeleteVery happy with this appointment! I'm a big fan of Marciniak since his first appearance in a big tournament in EURO 2016. He is technically a brilliant referee, great movement around the pitch, great manager. And more importantly, he shows it is possible to get back to the top after a period with some form problems and health issues. Well done and very well deserved! Way to go Szymon!
ReplyDeleteMarciniak is not even one of the top 5 referees in Europe. This designation is incredible. Marciniak didn't even manage the Champions League or UEFA Europa League final in Europe. This designation is disgusting.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your top 5 list in Europe and your candidate for the final? Without that, your words look like a hate.
DeleteIt's hate. It's envy. It's jealousy. It's having his feelings hurt over something that has no direct effect on this person.
Delete@Lde For example Taylor, Orsato, Makkelie, Vincic, Oliver et. al
Delete@Arbiter.. Please tell me. How does a referee who has never managed an important final in his life manage the most important match in the world? Kuipers, Cakir, Brych failed to do this. Collina resigned.
DeleteFurther proof of Collina's lame decisions at this WC.
ReplyDeleteSomeone wrote here yesterday that Ramos was not a talking point :)
Morocco file complaint to FIFA over Ramos' performance
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1709985/World-Cup-news-France-Morocco-rematch-complaint-referee
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/morocco-france-referee-complaint-world-cup-2022-b1047591.html
Deletehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11542277/Morocco-FA-launch-official-complaint-FIFA-referee-Cesar-Ramos-defeat-France.html
https://talksport.com/football/1278678/morocco-launch-official-complaint-referee-cesar-ramos-world-cup/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/morocco-france-world-cup-fifa-28743533
https://en.as.com/soccer/official-moroccan-protest-n/
These newsmakers are looking for clicks. They understand very little about refereeing and, like many even in this group, saw a replay with a limited time scope and came to an egregiously incorrect solution.
DeleteRamos, despite not giving a few fouls and a few YCs, got the no PK and YC to Morocco 100% correct. The attacker came in at speed from a distance and was the one who was reckless - this could clearly be seen in the live play. The replay failed to show the distance he came from.
Theo's challenge is definitely a PK. "The attacker came in at speed from a distance and was the one who was reckless "? Seriously? LOL I rest my case.
DeleteDid you watch the live play - full field and full speed? Morocco attacker came from 15+ yards away. The whole time he ran, the defender moved less than 5 yards.
DeleteCan't understand your point. The defender objectively knocks the attacker down inside the box. It's a penalty in Qatar, China, Australia, everywhere, Mexico included.
DeleteMy point is, defender played ball and attacker (who had everything in front of him) didn't play ball and caused the collision.
DeleteIf you know (as a player) that you won't get to ball first (clearly the case here), the expectation is that you avoid contact.
The attacker doesn't have to step out of the defender's way. The defender thought he had the ball under control, only to realise he hadn't, so he tackles the attacker. It is a clear penalty.
Deletecollina resignation
ReplyDeleteThe big question is whether the referee can be influenced by the aura of the Argentine players.
ReplyDeletehttps://ss.sport-express.ru/userfiles/materials/184/1847401/volga.jpg
Congrats to Marciniak. Well deserved based on his "comeback" performance this year. Yet I am really curious how Makkelie will digest this WC. For sure he cannot be very happy with only two assigments in GS.
ReplyDeleteMarciniak’s comeback really is incredible. 18 months ago, if you had told me he would be the referee for the 2022 World Cup final, I’d think you were crazy.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWith this appointment SZYMON HAVE the chance to handle EURO 2024 FINAL, her I have a question for all, Who is the referee who did this thing previously, handling WC & EURO FINALS?
ReplyDeleteGottfried Dienst from Switzerland who refereed 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany and 1968 UEFA Euro final between Italy and Yugoslavia.
DeleteThe other one is Sergio Gonella from Italy who refereed 1976 UEFA Euro final between Czechoslovakia and West Germany and 1978 World Cup final between Argentina and the Netherlands.
If I am not wrong Gonella never refereed Champions league final, while Dienst achieved that twice what makes him only referee with WC, Euro and Champions league final (ex European cup).
Well-deserved appointment! Good luck to the officials!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the treatment of Makkelie and Taylor one thing we can mention. Both of their national team were eliminated in the QF by the two finalists. And of course they didn't get further appointments in KO stage. But I am wondering, that in case Argentina or France would have been knocked out in the semifinals, one of them could get the chance. (And then this would explain why to keep them there on top of the fact, that they needed a pool of referees in case of "emergency".
Al-Jassim is a weird choice to me. Got a game on the second day of the tournament and one on the second last day. Enough time to prepare... :-) But 4 confederations are satisfied with appointments in the last two games.
And one more little observation. Both games with female reserve assistants. So public image of FIFA is covered...
I guess there will be a conclusion post after WC, but clearly we have some big winners of this tournament such as Barton, Sampaio, Marciniak, Oliver, Tello, Elfath.
And some people who can get home with some sour taste such as Makkelie, Taylor, Faghani, Beath, Gomez.
Regarding Beath I don't know why his treatment was that harsh. He was not worse than Elfath in his first game, but never got the chance. And I will sorry for Gomez for never really getting the change, even though his performance was around average.
Regarding Makkelie and Taylor: We know now, that only 5 out of 11 UEFA referees were used in the KO stage. So it could simply be the case, that Makkelie and Taylor have performed worse than Marciniak, Turpin, Oliver, Mateu and Orsato in the group stage in FIFA's opinion. And I would actually agree with that, not because they were bad, but because the other 5 were really good in GS.
DeleteRegarding your 3rd to 6th paragraph, I fully agree.
OMG You must live on another planet. Tello is not a winner of this WC by any means. He'll get immediately vetoed by Portugal if they ever meet again. He was a talking point for negative reasons.
DeleteElfath? He invented a penalty for Portugal after having missed one in 1st half. Again, he was a talking point for negative reasons.
Gomes and Taylor did very well. Didn't get too far because they should not be on ARG's wish list.
Agree on Beath. Should have had a second opportunity.
Delete@Phillipp S Regarding Makkelie and Taylor, it could simply be that both were in contention for the final together with Marciniak. If, in your argumentation, they did worse than the other European referees, they would simply have been sent home after Round of 16 or at least after the semifinals. It makes no sense to keep them in Qatar until the end without any plan.
DeleteApart from that, also Marciniak had only two games before this final appointment. One KO game yes, but ‘only’ a Round of 16. IMO the KO argument brought up by many is nonsense. A decisive game in matchday 3 in group stage could be considered of the same importance. In the end it’s all speculation.
Honestly, Makkelie is overrated if you ask me. His style is very one-dimensional, he doesn't have any other approach besides the ultra-calm/unbothered demeanor. It's fine on European games where players all know each other and barely need a referee (Spain - Germany was the perfect appointment for him), but he's nothing special IMO (relative to other referees at a World Cup).
Delete@smala017
DeleteCompletely agree. He is just a very average referee. Kuipers is far better than him. No idea why most people like him and think he can be a candidate for the final. Just very overrated. He is not that good.
Well deserved! Good luck to him, I have always felt in good hands when he has been appointed for my favourite team in European competitions
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Marciniak, well deserved and hopefully he will have excellent performance in most important match of his career so far.
ReplyDeleteBut I want to talk about Abdulrahman Al Jassim and his appointment for 3rd place match.
3rd place match is no joke,that also has some meaning,one team goes with medal,one team goes with nothing.
Morocco and Croatia are two underdogs between these 4,and even throughout whole WC.
They have beaten some of the best teams and teams that have incredible resume like Portugal,Spain and Brazil.
Both of these teams deserve 3rd place but unfortunately there is only one winner.
So we established that this match is very important,this is not some mid season game.
And in this match FIFA,with Collina and others decided to kiss Qatar's you know what and go full political,they had to reward Qatar's individual with atleast something.
Look,I am not saying that Abdulrahman Al Jassim is bad ref,in fact one of the best handled games of WC was his when he handled Wales vs USA.
But that's all we saw from him,no more games and to have ref who whistled 1 game jump straight away to 2nd most important match at this WC is unthinkable,just,I dont know what to say
We in Croatia have had enough of refs these days with Orsato and now when news about Qatar ref reached to Croatian media and people,you can image how news,internet and people reacted.
So in case we lose to Morocco I can already see the same scenario that we saw with Portuguese players after the match against Morocco.
Our players are not temperamental like Portugal,but I can imagine how public and and people of Croatia will react if he makes one crucial decision whether right ir wrong going Morocco 's way or against Croatia.
They could have easily solved this match by appointing Claus or Barton,even Valenzuela,or some other ref,but no,they have to make things complicated.
But then again,nothing is really suprising from Collina.
As good as he was on the pitch,looks like he wants to be contrary of that off the pitch.
3rd place is 2nd most important match at this WC? Are you serious? QF, SF, even R16 are much more important than 3rd place match. 3rd place is usually enjoyable to watch with many goals, but not challenging at all to handle. I am very happy AI-Jassim gets 3rd place, but I agree with you he should get at least one more game at either group stage or R16
DeleteIn this case,it is very important...
DeleteWhy?
Simple.
Croatia and Morocco are not some heavy favourites at WC so any medal for them means so much to their people.
They are not spoiled with country's succes like France,Argentina, Brazil,Netherlands or Germany those teams are used to playing Finals so 3rd place match means nothing to them.
But in this case,Morocco has chance for first medal,Croatia small nation always goes with a fight so I expect very interesting match.
Well, look back at 2014: Brazil - The Netherlands. A very difficult match to be a referee in, but also, very badly handled by the Algerian official. A match that was too big for him. I would indeed worry that the same could count for Al Jassim.
DeleteIn my view, AI-Jassim gets 3rd place is a compensation for him not getting any R16, QF, SF. He is deserved to get this, although it seems strange I know. The biggest surprise for me in the WC are Barton and AI-Jassim, but they were treated completely different. I feel sorry for AI-Jassim. He deserves much more.
Delete@M, what you described is the significance of 3rd match, which I agree. However, this does not mean the 3rd place match is the second most important. Another reason I like this appointment is how interesting this game will be based on their style of play. It can be aggressive and challenging, so I view this as a big test for AI-Jassim.
DeleteVAR appointments (VAR / AVAR / SVAR)
ReplyDeleteFischer: 8 / 2 / 1
Vigliano: 7 / 1 / 2
Gallo: 5 / 8 / 1
Al Marri: 5 / 0 / 0
Soto: 4 / 4 / 4
Irrati: 4 / 3 / 2
van Boekel: 4 / 2 / 3
Brisard: 4 / 1 / 1
Kwiatkowski: 4 / 1 / 1
Bascunan: 3 / 3 / 6
Guerrero: 3 / 2 / 4
Hernandez: 3 / 2 / 4
Dankert: 2 / 2 / 1
Fritz: 2 / 2 / 1
Evans: 2 / 1 / 1
Villareal: 1 / 6 / 5
Martinez: 1 / 4 / 3
Gonzalez: 1 / 2 / 4
Jiyed: 1 / 2 / 2
Valeri: 0 / 5 / 4
Millot: 0 / 3 / 4
de Burgos: 0 / 3 / 4
Bin Jahari: 0 / 3 / 1
Zourak: 0 / 2 / 5
OVAR
7: Nesbitt
4: Atkins, Back, Giallatini, Taran
3: Al-Marri, Bonfa, Carbone, Chade, Diaz Perez
2: Beecham, Brailovsky, Cebrian, Gourari, Parker, Pires, Shchetinin. Soppi
1: Belatti, Boschilia, Camara, Etchiali, Foltyn, Gourari, Gringore, Listkiewicz, Sokolnicki, Taran
BTW, Atkins and Guerrero haven't been in the VOR in the whole KO stage, but do work there now in the final, which seems quite strange.
DeleteWait a second, so Brisard had 4 games? This means that the "he works with Turpin" hypothesis is no longer available? Turpin had only 3 games as I reckon. Uruguay-South Korea, Ecuador-Senegal and Brazil-South Korea. Was this noticed on the blog and I missed it?
DeleteOh, I found it. He was with Oliver in Japan-Costa Rica. But not a menton about this in the commnets in the respective posts.
DeleteYou have Taran's name on here twice
DeleteThanks, so he has 5 games and takes the silver medal...
DeleteCongratulations for Szymon Marciniak! The biggest achievement in football is for you. He took the unique chance. His path for final is strange, without a big test before appointment for final. I think that commitee wasn't ready for a different ways for referees. 1 GS, 1 KO match (tricky, but big team v small team), uneventful matches, no many challenges.
ReplyDeleteImo this tournament was very poor in refeereing (specially in managing of referees).
In 2022 we had only Faghani and Turpin/Orsato for final as strong candidates. In 2026 we will have Turpin, Makkelie, Oliver, Sampaio, Elfath, Ramos. I think that will be a better tournament for referees.
What do you think - Faghani will be retired or he is gonna to WC 2026? Orsato can be retired now. Any options among great referees after 2022?
Path for Marciniak is not hardest for final, but managing for Al-Jassim? One good match (in second day!!), one F0), almost month between appointments and now... he get a bronze medal match... Hard to explain... (apart from politics and AFC problems). Why he didn't second match in GS? Why no more FO? Why no KO stage game (AFC get 0!! matches in KO, the same like CAF).
Delete+1
DeletePersonally, I don't think Faghani will make it to 2026.
DeleteAt 48 years old?
It would be a record
If he gets to 2026, I don't think he will be considered for the final.
His opportunity has already passed and he missed it.
Congratulations, Szymon!! You are an excellent referee
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Mr. Marciniak. I also believe that origianally, a UEFA referee was not planned for this final. And second of that, I don`t even think that Marciniak was considered the favourite from his confederation at first. But here we are. !!! The great thing is that the meritocracy criterion is still important, it matters and very good perfromances are rewarded !!! Before the torunament I stated that I was expecting high from him at this WC, but the final is above all expectations. Congratulations! He is the referee in the best form in Europe and this year delivered constantly top performances. I have all the trust that he will handle this final game without significant problems.
DeleteWell said @Matei14, but I would like to argue if Marciniak is "one of the best" rather than "the best". I still think Orsato show very amazing performance as Marciniak does. Anyway, all the best to Marciniak. His capability and personality will help him do well.
DeleteCongratulations Szymon, Pawel, Tomasz L, Ismail, and Tomasz K on the Final appointment! Well deserved indeed for a fantastic rise in the officiating world.
ReplyDeleteHappy for Marciniak. All the best for him and the team involved!
ReplyDeleteI told several times. Marciniak is the best of referee at this moment, and his act on tournament was very consistent so Far, and I'm sure that he going to a great final. Well deserved. I didnt read any comment above about a dutch which was adored by his supporters in this blog! I ask myself: Maybe he wasnt so good as I heard (and I was right all the time), or his pathetic supporters embrassed disappear? I dunno...Anyway, this just comprove that each 4 years this blog is the same circus!!!
ReplyDeleteI think he was good overall in EURO 2021, except the England-Denmark one. However, many people put him as a final candidate, IMO this does not make any sense. Just a very average performance in his two games, so how can he get the final??? People like making excuse like his games were more challenging or whatever like that. Stop making excuses!!! I completely agree with the committee in this case: no KO for him. Marciniak gets the game he should get, he is one of the best in this tournament, along with Orsato and Oliver.
DeleteI agree with you, Sam. Perhaps Danny Makkelie is a good police officer, but not necessarily the best soccer ref. Definitely not the Marciniak or Turpin level.
DeleteIt might be quite subjective but the admin of this blog (Chefren and the others) can make an individual assessment of each WC referees... Might be worth a night-time read for me... :D
ReplyDeleteYes, I had this idea myself actually (similar format to previews I wrote, perhaps you saw them?). When I can get some time, will endeavour to do this!
DeleteCan't wait to read it! And might even be published as a mini-book... :D I'm the first to buy it trust me
DeleteI thank everyone who made these valuable analyses.
DeleteAlthough I usually refrain from commenting the appointments, I will take this opportunity to congratulate Szymon Marciniak on this great achievement. I admit he is one of my favourite referees and I hoped for him to get something big at this WC, but it's still a deserved appointment IMHO. I hope he will deliver a good performance in the final.
ReplyDeleteMy warmest congratulation to Szymon Marciniak for have reached the the peak of a referee carrier. Well DONE and deserved from my point of view. I guess that all of us should trust on referee committee and accept that he has been appointed, it means that on day by day work, preparation and physical and metal condition Marciniak really deserve to officiate this match.
ReplyDeleteAbout Taylor and Makkelie, or only 5 UEFA referees (Marciniak twice) being appointed to a KO stage match:
ReplyDelete- December 1 (and 2), the days they appointed the referee for the first two (four) Round of 16 matches, group E, F, G, H weren't decided yet and they probably didn't expect Germany, Belgium and Uruguay would be eliminated in the group stage.
- If all three would have advanced to the KO stage there would have been 2 more UEFA - UEFA matches and Brazil-Uruguay in the Round of 16, 3 additional matches where confederation neutrality would not have been necessary.
- They also probably expected Spain to win against Morocco, that would have resulted in an additional UEFA - UEFA QF and SF.
- Probably there weren't enough matches to appoint all 7 UEFA referees.
- Morocco advancing to the SF probably resulted in Elfath not being appointed to a QF or SF.
Or you can say everything was pre-prepared just in the same way as in 2018:
Delete- 5 UEFA referees in KO stage (Kuipers, Rocchi, Skomina, Mazic, Cakir)
- 1 UEFA referee with 2 matches in KO stage (Kuipers: R16 & QF)
It is true, than FIFA management on this tournament was a little bit strange. The final referee usually handle at least 3 games before the last appointment. But maybe still better than Pitana's 5 games on previous tournament: he looked tired in the final.
DeleteOf course there were any circumstances that had an impact on FIFA decisions. I think Marciniak was originally planned maybe for the semifinal, It is also obvious that Morocco advancing influences some potential Elfath's appointments.
Elfath was probably planned for the semi-final instead of Ramos and they probably needed him for the Japan-Croatia match. Had Japan, Korea and Morocco not advanced to the KO stage there would have been more options to appoint an African, European or Asian referee to a Round of 16 Match. Probably the QF appointments were influenced by Morocco advancing an Germany, Spain or Belgium not being in the QF.
DeleteAs this was not posted before. Some statements by and background information about Marciniak:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.fifa.com/technical/refereeing/news/szymon-marciniak-from-poland-to-referee-fifa-world-cup-final
About Orsato's penalty:
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of somehow 'comparable' cases from past tournaments.
How would you assess all of these scenes?
Jesús Díaz (1986) - https://files.catbox.moe/l3n02j.mp4
Kurt Röthlisberger (1992) - https://files.catbox.moe/e4v1q3.mp4
Arturo Brizio Carter (1998) - https://files.catbox.moe/2k1faz.mp4
Djamel Haimoudi (2014) - https://files.catbox.moe/uj20b5.mp4
Diaz: Due to lack of replays: Penalty still supportable - but play on seems better as the attacker looks for the contact
DeleteRöthlisberger: Clear penalty
Brizio Carter: Clear dive (and VC)
Haimoudi: Looks similar to the previous scene, therefore I understand the YC, but unfortunately there seems to be a contact at the foot, which makes it a penalty.
1986 diving, 1992 funny diving, 1998 penalty + VanDerSaar diving, 2014 obvious penalty
DeleteAgree with Philipp S
Delete1) Penalty, but need more replays
Delete2) Penalty. The attacker jumps first to avoid the contact and continue running. But the barrier is high enough that he's not able to hurdle it anyways, and the contact brings him down.
3) Excellent simulation call and VC. Sidenote: this clip led me to watch more clips of Brizio Carter and wow, what a great referee he looks like, you really don't see a referee like this in the modern game unfortunately.
4) The most complicated of them all... honestly, I could support simulation, penalty, or play on here, there are arguments to be made in each direction. For me, I prefer simulation because he jumps into the opponent's leg. But, like the Rothlisberger clip, one could argue that he's jumping to try to hurdle the challenge. However, I think he's already going down before the contact in this case.
Diaz: Supportable penalty for me as well, because of the right leg of the defender impeding the attacker, however barely so. As Philipp correctly stated, the attacker certainly looks for contact, I'm convinced he could have avoided the collision if he had wanted to. I would have liked to see play on here, to be frank.
DeleteRöthlisberger: Clear penalty for me as well (and a nice YC for that sarcastic clapping also).
Brizio Carter: Blatant simulation, but very cunningly performed, therefore a brilliant decision by the referee, including the subsequent RC for VC. Nice chain by the way (with a cross, if I can see clearly), I suppose they didn't enforce the ban back then.
Haimoudi: A tricky scene, I can agree with that. I think the important aspect here is not the attacker's left leg (where it seems he does look for contact himself), but the step on foot by the defender. It is definitely not a full scale step, but a minor one catching the front part of the shoe. However, it wasn't just the tip, but a larger part, which makes it more of a penalty for me than not. If I had to reach a decision, it would have been a penalty. And yes, the YC for simulation is clearly wrong for me, but I'm almost certain Haimoudi never perceived the contact with the foot, focusing on the contact with the left leg instead and deeming that a simulation.
If Cakir officiate World Cup 2022, I think he will be booked for the final since he is a legendary referee which can break record officiate 3 Euro and 3 World Cup, and one of the most senior referee(16 years of FIFA license since 2006)
ReplyDeleteUsually World Cup final referee is not the most senior based on the FIFA license
1994 Puhl(FIFA license 1988, 6 years)
1998 Belqola(FIFA license 1993, 5 years)
2002 Collina(FIFA license 1995, 7 years)
2006 Elizondo(FIFA license 1994, 12 years)
2010 Webb(FIFA license 2005, 5 years)
2014 Rizzoli(FIFA license 2007, 7 years)
2018 Pitana(FIFA license 2010, 8 years)
If Cakir officiate World Cup, maybe Marcinak will absent and Cakir will officiate final instead Marcinak, and he will officate final in 46 years old(Orsato the oldest referee in terms of age and Cakir the oldest referee in terms of seniority in FIFA)
With this argumentation, Ali Bujsaim should have been booked for the World Cup final 2002 instead of Pierluigi Collina after having handled the third place play-off in 1994 and a semi-final in 1998 as well as having officiated in four Africa Cups and three Asian Cups. I also do not understand the line of reasoning when you mention that the World Cup final referee usually is NOT the most senior one but then claim Cakir to be appointed for it because he WOULD BE the most senior one.
DeleteIn my book, this argumentation is comparable with the conclusion that Marciniak was appointed because Poland had a pope (John Paul II.), Pitana and Elizondo because Argentina has a pope (Francis), Rizzoli and Collina because Italy had numerous popes and Webb because England had a pope (Adrian IV.).
Interesting point, thanks for sharing. I think If Cakir shows up in Qatar, he will replace Siebert (maybe Vincic, but less likely) rather than Marcinak. Siebert getting his place in WC was a bit controversial if you ask me.
DeleteInteresting video about Marciniak:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/znivkx/oc_i_translated_a_few_interesting_materials_with/
Resign Collina..
ReplyDeleteNews from elsewhere:
ReplyDeleteTore Hansen and Svein Oddvar Moen leave the FIFA list from Norway.
New FIFA referees:
Sivert Øksnes Amland and Mohammad Usman Aslam.
Aslam: Watch out for this guy. He has a unique style as referee. Doesn't get every decision right, but he's a huge personality.
OT: What a ride! I've been following the World Cup since '86, and this was by far and away the most enjoyable for me. So many upsets, and so many interesting (to be generous ; ) referee performances! And following the matches and performances on this blog while watching the matches made it that much more enjoyable. Because, yes, we all are invested in the referee profession and want to see the best possible performances, but there is also a comradarie here, whether we are here to improve our own refereeing at whatever level or just like to kibbitz or both, we all share this interest. And just as surfers are in search of the endless summer and that perfect wave, perhaps on the field or on the viewing screen, we are all in search of that highly elusive and mythical perfect match for a referee. And because to err is human and refereeing is literally one of the most challenging of professions in which one has to make split second decisions from distance sometimes with multiple players in the way, refereeing is a metaphor for the human condition, and our investment in this profession is like the human spirit always trying to improve and to take flight and become free of all limitations and perceived mistakes, which are, of course, the stepping stones to success. So I commend you all for being here and enjoy the final. Onwards and upwards!
ReplyDelete