FIFA referee admits he made a mistake during Argentina vs France World Cup final

Football referee Szymon Marciniak has admitted that he made a mistake during Argentina's win over France at the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar. While speaking to Sport PL, Marciniak said that his mistake was to not allow the advantage to be played when Argentina defender Marcos Acuna committed a foul in additional time. Marciniak feels that he shouldn't have interrupted the game and should have allowed the French counter-attack to continue. 

Marciniak showed Acuna a yellow card after he fouled French winger Kingsley Coman during stoppage time. The Polish official said that he should have let the advantage be played and then come back with a card. Marciniak, however, acknowledged the mistake was not a big one and that it did not impact the final result of the game. Marciniak stated that he takes such a mistake in the dark in a game of that significance.

"Of course, there were mistakes in this final. I interrupted the French counter-attack after a bad tackle by Marcos Acuna. I was afraid that the fouled player wanted to unwind, and I read it wrong because nothing happened, and you could give an advantage and then come back with a card. It's hard. In a game like this, I take such a mistake in the dark. The important thing is that there were no big mistakes," Marciniak was quoted as saying to Sport PL. 

Marciniak on Messi's controversial goal

Marciniak also opened up on the controversy that emerged after the World Cup final between Argentina and France. French football fans were crying foul and trying to create a controversy over Messi's final goal in the match. Many believed that Argentina's third goal shouldn't have been allowed citing the presence of substitute players on the field. They even shared pictures on social media showing a couple of Argentine substitutes present on the field when Messi scored the goal.

Marciniak took out his phone and showed a picture of French substitute players on the field when Mbappe scored a goal. "The French didn't mention this photo, where you can see how there are seven Frenchmen on the pitch when Mbappé scores a goal," he said. As far as the final is concerned, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win their third World Cup title and first in 36 years. 

Image: fifa.com