Miroslav Stupar: "Bayern Munich players should not blame the referee"

After the repeat of the Champions League semi-final match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the participants of the confrontation expressed many claims against the referee, Szymon Marciniak. Former FIFA referee Mirosław Stupar gave his assessment of the Polish referee's performance:

"I believe that Szymon Marciniak coped with his duties. In the first half, he had little work to do. Passions on the pitch began to boil over after Bayern took the lead. But the referee confidently controlled the course of events, especially as the VAR system could provide insurance at key moments. Not only was Martsyniak's vast experience in officiating matches of this rank evident, but also the fact that he himself used to play football well, so he felt the spirit of the fight.

And the post-match claims of the participants are emotions, part of a football performance. We can understand the desperation of Bayern's players, but they are to blame, because they did not convert all the chances they created. At least Martsyniak, in my opinion, refereed better than his Italian counterpart, who officiated in the other semi-final: "PSG vs Borussia and did not notice the visitors' offence on Mbappe, for which a penalty should have been awarded," Stupar said.

It will be recalled that Real Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich at the end of the match and reached the Champions League final, where they will meet Borussia Dortmund.