Felix Zwayer, the referee appointed for England’s semifinal against the Netherlands at Euro 2024, was previously involved in a match-fixing scandal in Germany.
Wednesday’s match will mark Zwayer’s fourth appearance at Euro 2024 and his second involving the Netherlands, following his officiation of their 3-0 victory over Romania in the round of 16.
UEFA and the German soccer federation confirmed Zwayer’s appointment on Monday.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham faced a fine of 40,000 euros ($43,400) while playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021 after criticizing Zwayer’s appointment.
In 2006, Zwayer, then a young assistant referee, received a six-month ban over allegations of accepting money from another referee, Robert Hoyzer, who was banned for match-fixing.
A ruling published by German newspaper Die Zeit in 2014 stated that Zwayer had accepted 300 euros ($325) from Hoyzer ahead of a 2004 game and had failed to promptly report the incident. However, it concluded there was no evidence that Zwayer manipulated any games and noted he eventually provided crucial evidence.
Following Dortmund’s close 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich in December 2021, Bellingham remarked to Norwegian broadcaster Viaplay: “You give a referee that’s, you know, match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?”
Zwayer responded to the allegations in January 2022, revealing he received threatening messages via email and was informed by Berlin police of an online death threat. He denied any involvement in match manipulation or receiving money from Hoyzer for such purposes.
Since then, Zwayer has not officiated any Dortmund games but will return to the same stadium for England’s match against the Netherlands.
England defender Luke Shaw dismissed concerns over Zwayer’s appointment affecting the team, stating, “No, not at all. We have to respect UEFA on whoever they decide to pick as the ref. That won’t change anything about us. We still just focus on the game in hand, not too much about what refs we’ve been given or this and that. So for us, it won’t make any difference.”
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will oversee Tuesday’s semifinal between Spain and France.
