Champions League final 2023 officials: who is referee, assistant referees - is there VAR?

UEFA has confirmed referee Szymon Marciniak will remain in charge of the Champions League final after an investigation.

The Polish match official will take charge of Manchester City vs Inter Milan at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday 10 June. It is his first Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola is looking to lead his city side to the treble - having already won the Premier League and FA Cup. Inter have finished third in Serie A but won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.

But who are the match officials for the game? Here is all you need to know:

Who is the referee for Champions League final?

Poland's Szymon Marciniak will be the referee for the final in Istanbul on Saturday. He was announced as the match official for the final at the end of May.

The match official has taken charge of eight matches in the Champions League this season - including the semi-final second leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium. He has never been the man in the middle for a Champions League final - but was the fourth official for the final in 2018.

He was the referee for the World Cup final in Qatar in December 2022.

Marciniak to remain as referee after investigation

UEFA announced that Marciniak would remain referee of the final after investigating his alleged links with a far-right movement. Marciniak was under review after speaking at a recent event organised by Polish far-right leader Slawomir Mentzen.

But UEFA is satisfied that Marciniak had been “gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question” and will keep the 42-year-old Pole as referee. In a statement the organisation said: “Following Mr. Marciniak’s statement, UEFA acknowledges his profound apologies and clarification.

“UEFA also reached out to “NEVERAGAIN,” an NGO affiliated with the FARE network, which raised the initial concerns about Mr. Marciniak’s involvement in the event. They requested that Mr. Marciniak remain in his role as the referee for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final, firmly asserting that removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination.

“Based on the information provided, UEFA confirms that Mr. Marciniak will fulfil his role as the referee for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.”

The organiser of the event at which Marciniak was a guest speaker, co-chairman of the Confederation party Mentzen, launched the political slogan ‘We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union’. Anti-racism group Never Again had urged UEFA to drop Marciniak after the event at the International Congress Centre in Katowice.

Marciniak 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.”

Who are the assistant referees?

Poland's Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz will be the assistants in Istanbul on 10 June. The fourth official is Istvan Kovacs and the reserve assistant is Vasile Florin Marinescu.

Is there VAR in the final?

The Video Assistant Referee system will be in place for the Champions League final. VAR has been used throughout the 2022/2023 Champions League season.

Tomasz Kwiatkowski will be the VAR and his assistant will be Bartosz Frankowski. Germany's Marco Fritz will provide VAR support for the game.