UEFA-level ref denies being drunk in ‘plane fight with passengers before match’

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    A UEFA-level referee has denied being drunk in a plane altercation before a Greek Super League match.

    Polish referee Pawel Raczkowski and his group of officials were allegedly involved in a fight with other passengers on their plane to Greece before the AEK Athens and Aris match on Sunday.

    With just seven games left in the Super League season, AEK top the table on goal difference ahead of Panathinaikos and three points ahead of Olympiacos.

    The regular season has split into a championship and relegation mini league, Aris remain second bottom of the championship table and offer AEK a huge chance to pick up three points and stay top of the division.

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    But the match has been left hanging in the balance by bizarre circumstances with Polish referee Raczkowski alongside linesmen Radoslav Siecka and Adam Kupsik and VAR official Krzysztof Jakubik all alleged to have been involved in a fight on the plane to Athens.

    Greek outlet Sport24 reported that none of the officiating team have made contact with anyone and remain missing just hours before the clash.

    Raczkowski usually officiates in Poland’s top division the Ekstraklasa and has been a FIFA referee since 2012 and a top category ranked UEFA referee, being selected for Champions League and Europa League duty.

    But he denies being drunk on the flight to the match – and says he was the one who was attacked by a man on the plane.

    "It's all absolutely 100% false," Raczkowski said. "We are not drunk, we did not attack anyone, we were attacked by someone on the plane. He told me that he is a fan of Panathinaikos and that he will destroy me in the media tomorrow.

    "He then spat in my face and punched me in the back near the head at the airport. Any information you get from this man is not true.

    What do you think happened to the referees? Let us know in the comments section below

    "We are at the hotel we were transferred to directly after the flight. We ate dinner and went to bed.

    "We stayed at the hotel, in the morning we are at the hotel, we met with the head of the Greek arbitration Mr. Bennett, we talked with him, we explained everything to him and it is completely false that we went anywhere. We talked normally with him. That we are calm, that we are not drunk.”

    Greece began hiring foreign referees to officiate top flight league matches in 2018 but this could be the last time that Raczkowski and his team are assigned to such duties.

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