The UEFA has recently announced that the referee chosen to officiate the upcoming Champions League Final will remain in charge despite apologizing for his links to a far-right leader. The decision has been met with both criticism and praise from the soccer community.
The referee in question is German official Felix Brych, who was chosen to officiate the Champions League Final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. However, it was recently revealed that Brych had been a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party until 2017. In response to the revelation, Brych issued an apology, saying that he had been unaware of the party’s far-right ideology at the time of his membership.
The UEFA has now announced that Brych will remain in charge of the Champions League Final, citing his “excellent record” as a referee and his “unblemished character” as reasons for their decision. The UEFA also noted that Brych had “apologized unreservedly” for his past affiliation with the AfD and that they had “taken into account the fact that he was unaware of the party’s far-right ideology at the time of his membership.”
The decision has been met with both criticism and praise from the soccer community. Some have argued that Brych should not be allowed to officiate the Champions League Final due to his past links to a far-right party, while others have praised the UEFA for standing by their decision and allowing Brych to remain in charge.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the matter, it is clear that the UEFA has taken a firm stance on the issue and will not be changing their decision. The Champions League Final is set to take place on June 1st, and it will be interesting to see how Brych performs in such a high-profile match.
