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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Sean Ingle

Death threats, AI, prosecutions: how should we stop referee abuse?

Szymon Marciniak incurs the wrath of Matthijs de Ligt and Thomas Müller during the Champions League semi-final. Fans then abused him online.
Szymon Marciniak incurs the wrath of Matthijs de Ligt and Thomas Müller during the Champions League semi-final. Fans then abused him online. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

“Szymon Marciniak you son of a whore”. “Don’t come to Germany for your safety.” “How much money did you get?” “FUCK YOU MARCINIAK YOU DISGUSTING BASTARD #RMAFCB.”

This is a snapshot of X and Instagram after Bayern Munich crashed out of the Champions League last week. Marciniak’s crime? Blowing for offside too early, which meant that a possible Matthijs de Ligt equaliser could not be reviewed by the VAR. Even a freeze-frame image could not confirm whether De Ligt was onside or not. But that didn’t stop Bayern’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, saying the referee’s decision “felt like a betrayal” – or the bile on social media.

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