Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak’s decision to award a penalty to Inter Milan during their clash with Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League was inappropriate.
During the game, which ended 4-3 in favour of the Italian club, attacker Lautaro Martinez had the ball in the 18-yard box, and while moving, Barca defender Cubarsi slid to clear the ball.
However, after review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Marciniak deemed the challenge a foul because the defender touched the player’s foot first before kicking the ball.
During post-match analysis on beIN SPORTS, Wenger fumed about the decision, stating that Cubarsi got the ball first from his view of the incident.
The Chief of FIFA’s Global Football Development said that he is not a fan of officials using slow motion to assess an incident on a monitor during games, as it does not give a clear picture to be used for decisions.
Wenger expressed his disappointment in referee Marciniak for awarding such a penalty, considering how Martinez leaned to win it, and it wasn’t a serious challenge.
“I’m highly against this kind of penalty, and I’m against using slow motion on normal pace. He’s first on the ball. Why does he touch him? Look what he’s doing, Martinez leans into him [Cubarsi]. He looks for the penalty. He knows he won’t score now because he feels him there.
“And the referee in this situation shows that he hasn’t made the right decision. Look, he’s first on the ball, and that’s what counts for me. It doesn’t matter if there’s contact. It’s who plays the ball and who wins the ball first. I’m highly against this kind of penalty,” he said.
Watch Arsene Wenger’s comment below:
🚨🇫🇷 Arsene Wenger on Inter’s penalty: “I’m highly AGAINST these kind of penalties. And I’m highly against using slow motion VAR.” ❌🚫 pic.twitter.com/3f18Q7qUl4
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 6, 2025
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