This morning, the German press did not spare the referee of yesterday’s game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, blaming him for the Bavarian team’s elimination in the Champions League semi-finals. At the heart of the criticism is the controversial move in the final part of the match, with the Polish Szymon Marciniak blowing the whistle before the ball entered the goal, allegedly offside, something that goes against protocol. This is because, with the referee’s whistle sanctioning an infraction, the VAR no longer has the power to analyze the move. “At the moment of (De Ligt’s) shot, Marciniak blew the whistle. Out of play? Assistant Listkiewicz raised the flag. Instead of letting the play continue, the referee deprived Bayern of the possibility of equalizing and thus prolonging the game. What a scandal! “, writes ‘Bild’. ‘Kicker’ magazine speaks, in turn, of an “absolute disaster” and has no doubts: “Bayern’s dream was ruined by Marciniak’s whistle, which in the end was decisive.”
The same publication emphasizes that the judge “did not follow the instructions”. “In the case of contact decisions, referees are ultimately obliged to allow the action to end to give the VAR the opportunity to carry out a thorough analysis.”
‘Der Spiegel’ speaks, in turn, of a “nightmare”, adding that the referee “was controversial and attracted attention”.
