Referee Szymon Marciniak Takes Break from Top UEFA Matches to Recover from Injury

Szymon Marciniak UEFA injury break World Cup 2026 referee

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak asked UEFA to step back from officiating major European cup games after a serious injury that kept him out from December 2025 to March 2026. He underwent surgery and intensive rehabilitation, then returned to referee domestic PKO Ekstraklasa fixtures and a Europa League round‑of‑16 match (Panathinaikos vs Real Betis).

Because of the lingering injury, Marciniak was replaced by Paweł Raczkowski for the scheduled Champions League round‑of‑16 tie between Liverpool and Galatasaray. Former PZPN president Michał Listkiewicz confirmed that Marciniak personally requested the break to avoid risking his fitness for the 2026 World Cup, where he will serve as a referee with assistants Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik.

Sources

Tomasz Berkieta zatrzymany już w przedbiegach [sportowefakty.wp.pl]

4 months ago

To dlatego Szymon Marciniak nagle zniknął. Prośba do władz UEFA [przegladsportowy.onet.pl]

4 months ago

BK: Derek wyjechał na tor – Klub Sportowy Toruń: KST [speedway.torun.pl]

4 months ago

Szymon Marciniak zgłosił się do UEFA. Michał Listkiewicz ujawnił [sport.interia.pl]

4 months ago

Dlaczego Marciniak zniknął z wielkich meczów – i co to znaczy dla mundialu | Najnowsze wiadomości z kraju i ze świata - upday News [www.upday.com]

4 months ago