Polish referee Szymon Marciniak is in charge of the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul. Marciniak was given the honour of refereeing the World Cup final in December, which passed largely without controversy. He was the first-ever Pole to referee a World Cup final and his assistants that day in Qatar, compatriots Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, are on hand again tonight to run the line. However, Marciniak has not been without controversy off the pitch. He managed to keep his role in charge of the final after apologising for appearing at a far-right event in Poland last month, having spoken at an event organised by far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen. He said in a statement: “I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused. “Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question. I had no knowledge that it was associated [with] a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation. “It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are entirely contrary to my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to uphold in my life. I am deeply remorseful for any perception that my participation may have contradicted them.” Uefa said: “After conducting a thorough review, we have received a statement from Mr Marciniak expressing his deepest apologies and providing a clarification regarding his involvement in the event.” The 42-year-old refereed the second leg of City’s semi-final win against Real Madrid and has taken charge of seven other Champions League fixtures. Here is the full officiating team for the Champions League final: 2023 Champions League final refereeing team Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)Assistants: Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz (both POL)Fourth official: Istvan Kovacs (ROM)Reserve assistant: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROM)VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)Assistant VAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)VAR Support: Marco Fritz (GER) When: Saturday 10 June, 8pm BST. Where: Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul. Odds (after 90 minutes) Man City win: 4/9 Inter win: 6/1 Draw: 15/4 Via Betfair Read More Champions League final referee Szymon Marciniak keeps role after apology for attending far-right event One last wrong to right? Man City stand on the brink of complicated history Inter and the impossible task of the Champions League final Manchester City fans sing on streets of Istanbul ahead of Champions League final Man City owner to attend first match in 13 years at Champions League final Watch live: Fans gather at Istanbul stadium ahead of Champions League final

Ariana describes the book as 'the story of [her] relationship [with Tom Sandoval] and the betrayal that ended it all, told through drinks'

The Women’s World Cup is taking shape with shocks and highlights as it nears the end of the group stage

WHIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 21, 2023--

Chris Woakes removed Australia openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja to revive England's hopes of a series-levelling win on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes...

Provides an overview of Belarus, including key events and facts about this east European country.

The Atlanta Braves received an injury scare courtesy of Eddie Rosario. While it's unclear if an IL stint will be necessary, Rosario's hamstring issue is more evidence Alex Anthopoulos should trade for an outfielder.Rosario left the Braves last game against the Chicago White Sox with a ...

Ecuador used to be one of Latin America's most peaceful nations

Valorant Episode 5 Act 1 end date is expected for Aug. 24 based on the current battle pass expiration date.

George Russell said he has has banned himself from using social media and reading the news because it does not bring him any positivity. The Mercedes driver has a combined following of nearly seven million on X and Instagram. But Russell, 25, who was involved in a first-corner collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the last round in Qatar, says he has stepped back from using the platforms. Speaking to the PA news agency, Russell said: “I stopped using Twitter (‘X’) about six months ago. “I work with a social team and everything that is posted is in my own words and is signed off through me. I want to stay connected with the fans. But I don’t use the app and I have started to do the same with Instagram. “I respect that everyone has an opinion. But I don’t need to read the praise because that doesn’t bring me anything, and I don’t need to see the negative comments because that doesn’t bring me anything either. “But when I stopped using Twitter (‘X’), whenever I was on my phone I was on Instagram, and when I stopped using Instagram, I thought I needed to look at something so I started to read the news. But every headline was negative. “Other than being informed about what is going on in the world, reading negative headlines one after another didn’t bring anything to me, so now I am totally off social media.” Russell heads into the final five rounds of the campaign eighth in the standings, 62 points and five places adrift of Hamilton. “It all stemmed after the the summer break when I didn’t use my phone at all,” added Russell, who will line up from fifth on the grid for his 100th race in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. “During that period when I had my family and friends around me I had an average screen time of 15 minutes. In a normal week I have an average screen time of three hours. “I saw a post that said ‘if you use your phone on average for four hours a day, by the time you die you will have spent 15 years looking at your phone’. “And when I read that, I was like, ‘Jesus I could spend 15 years of my life on my phone.’ I can do something wiser than scrolling through Instagram memes.”

Wander Franco was initially present in the dugout during Sunday's game against Cleveland but left during the fifth inning

The 9/11 Families United coalition condemned the "hypocrisy and greed" of US PGA Tour leaders after the bombshell announcement on Tuesday that the Tour will...