England handed referee who clashed with Jude Bellingham over match-fixing past
Referee Felix Zwayer, who clashed with Jude Bellingham over his involvement in one of German football’s biggest match-fixing scandals, will take charge of England’s Euro 2024 semi-final with the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Zwayer was suspended for six months in 2006 for his connection to Robert Hoyzer, who was jailed and given a life ban from football for helping to orchestrate a €2m scheme to manipulate results in the German cup, second and third divisions.
He accepted a €300 bribe from Hoyzer when working as his assistant but received some leniency for raising the alarm to the German FA and has since rebuilt his career, officiating in the Bundesliga, Champions League and international football.
Bellingham received a €40,000 fine in 2021 for bringing up Zwayer’s match-fixing past after his Borussia Dortmund team were on the end of some contentious decisions from the referee in a 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.
“You give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?” Bellingham told broadcasters in a post-match interview. The England midfielder, then 18, was charged with “unsporting behaviour”.
Zwayer called the remarks “personal, disparaging and disrespectful”, adding: “It’s not about punishment but about the realisation that he went too far. I would accept a sincere apology.”
The 43-year-old will lead an all-German officiating team at Wednesday’s match in Dortmund which also includes assistants Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmuller, plus VAR Bastian Dankert.
The Football Association has declined to comment on the matter, while tournament organisers Uefa have been approached for comment.
Bellingham has already landed in hot water at Euro 2024 for his celebrations after scoring a last-gasp overhead kick equaliser against Slovakia.
The Real Madrid star was fined €30,000 and handed a suspended one-match ban by Uefa for grabbing his crotch, a gesture it said “violated the basic rules of decent conduct”.
England manager Gareth Southgate said he would not ask Bellingham to curb his emotions in the wake of the incident, adding: “I don’t know how I’d have reacted in that moment if that was me.”
The semi-final will be the second time that Zwayer has overseen a match involving the Netherlands, having also refereed their 3-0 victory over Romania in the last 16.
Before that Zwayer took charge of Italy’s opening match against Albania, which the holders won 2-1, and Portugal’s 3-0 win over Turkey, also in the group phase.