UEFA appoints Szymon Marciniak for LASK vs Celtic

UEFA has handed Szymon Marciniak another notable assignment, with the Polish referee appointed to oversee LASK Linz against Celtic Glasgow in the final round of Champions League qualifying. It is the latest sign of confidence in one of Poland’s leading officials at the start of the new season.

Another major UEFA appointment

Marciniak’s latest game comes in a tie carrying clear sporting and financial weight, with a place in the Champions League proper on the line. According to the source material, this will be his fifth match of the season overall.

UEFA had already turned to him earlier in qualifying, when he took charge of Olympique Lyon’s 3:0 win over Sparta Prague in the third round. Domestically, he has also worked three Ekstraklasa matches since the campaign began, underlining how quickly he has returned to a demanding schedule.

Polish officiating team in Linz

Marciniak will not be working alone in Linz. UEFA has appointed a largely Polish team around him for the match.

• Assistant referees: Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik
• Fourth official: Paweł Raczkowski
• VAR: Pol van Boekel
• Assistant VAR: Paweł Malec

That setup reflects the level of trust placed in the group for a high-stakes European fixture.

Busy spell after World Cup frustration

The appointment also comes after a World Cup that may have left Marciniak with mixed feelings. The source notes that he officiated only two group-stage matches at the tournament: Argentina against Algeria and Egypt against Iran.

He was still mentioned among the candidates for the biggest fixtures deep into the competition, but ultimately did not receive one of those assignments. Marciniak himself said he had been prepared for a semi-final before the final lineup of teams worked against him from a public-relations and marketing perspective for FIFA.

“I was being prepared for the semi-final... I was already in the rotation for two days, so everyone was sure I had one of the semi-finals. Unfortunately, the teams fell in a way that was unlucky for me,” Marciniak said, as cited in the source material.

Celtic take advantage into second leg

The match itself arrives with Celtic in a strong position. The Scottish side won the first leg at home 3:0, leaving LASK with a significant task in the return in Linz.

The second leg is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 25 August at 21:00 in Linz. For Marciniak, it is another prominent European night and further evidence that UEFA continues to value his work despite the disappointment of not landing one of the headline appointments at the World Cup.