Behind the scenes – the Financial Police comes into play!

The explosive match between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan, which ended in a 3-4 defeat for the Catalans, continues to shake European football. But it is not only the seven goals that have sparked the debate: Szymon Marciniak’s arbitration decisions have created an unprecedented scandal, now at the heart of a media and judicial hurricane. Indeed, the Polish referee has been suspended indefinitely by FIFA after a mysterious failure of the VAR system during the match.

There is a “malfunction” that changes everything

In the 75th minute of the match, a controversial action between Mkhitaryan and the young Lamin Yamal was briefly confirmed … before the video assistance was suddenly declared “out of service”. According to sources of the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport , UEFA technicians would detect “unidentified” external interference in the VAR signal, a first in the history of the Champions League.

Result? Red card for Mkhitaryan, no penalty for Barça and the decisive goal of Francesco Acerbi, tainted a few minutes later by a possible mistake on Gerard Martin, was confirmed. Yes, the angry Catalans were “silent”.

Shadow of a plot of land?

The accusations are all around. The Catalan media is crying out for “institutional affiliation”, some will suspect Marciniak of ties to Real Madrid. There is an old rumour that the Polish referee was invited to a private dinner organised by a Madrid sponsor in 2022. The Italian financial police have even opened an investigation into possible suspicious financial flows around the game.

“This is not the first time this referee has penalized us in a decisive match,” Pedri said. “If UEFA does not react, this is just well-orchestrated theater.”

Marciniak answers … and defends himself

After the match, Szymon Marciniak was asked about his frightening response:

“I will not respond to such ridiculous accusations. I have nothing to reproach myself with. If they want to complain, let them. I am ready.”

But FIFA, pressured by public opinion and several federations, decided to take action. A laconic press release announced that Marciniak had been “temporarily excluded from any appointment until further notice” while the investigation into the VAR intervention was completed.

A lightning strike… and lasting results

The debate swells: BeIN Sports consultant Arsène Wenger said he was “shocked” by the end of the match. “How can a tool as important as Var break down at the decisive moment? It’s disturbing.”

Meanwhile, social networks are exploding. The hashtag #Vargate is trending in Europe. Theories are circulating about voluntary hacking, even involving a secret Paris cartel operating from Asia.

Rest?

FC Barcelona have officially taken UEFA to task with an 84-page dossier containing video sequences, technical analysis and testimonies, with president Joan Laporta calling for a “complete overhaul” of UEFA’s VAR systems and what he claims is a final ban for Marciniak from all European competitions.

One match, one breakdown and all the European wonders: is the clubs’ biggest rivalry still reliable? The answer may be … the next twist