FIFA World Cup: Poland’s Marciniak to referee final between Argentina and France

Doha, Dec .16 (IANS): Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will make history as the first man from his country to take charge of a FIFA World Cup final when France meet Argentina at Lusail Stadium on Sunday.

Marciniak, who oversaw France’s group-stage victory over Denmark and Argentina’s Round of 16 defeat of Australia, will be assisted by compatriots Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz for the hotly-anticipated contest.

The 41-year-old has extensive UEFA Champions League experience and was in the middle for Liverpool’s first-leg semi-final victory over Villarreal last season. Marciniak additionally refereed three matches at the 2016 UEFA EURO.

Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Al Jassim of Qatar will officiate the play-off for third place between Morocco and Croatia at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.

The 35-year-old was referee for USA and Wales’ 1-1 group stage draw on the tournament’s second day. He oversaw the FIFA Club World Cup final between Liverpool and Flamengo in December 2019.

Al Jassim will have fellow Qataris Taleb Al Marri and Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh as assistant referees for this weekend’s fixture.