Referee slammed for match-fixing by Bellingham in 2021 will officiate England semis
England will take on the Netherlands on Wednesday in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final and German referee Felix Zwayer will take charge of the crunch clash.
The 43-year-old German referee has a history with England international midfielder Jude Bellingham, who slammed the official for being a match-fixer back in 2021.
Following a defeat to Bayern Munich in December 2021, Bellingham slammed the referee for turning down multiple appeals of a penalty from Borussia Dortmund throughout the game. Zwayer was also criticised for awarding Bayern Munich a penalty for an unintentional handball by Mats Hummels.
Bellingham said back then (h/t Sky Sports): “You give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany – what do you expect?
“For me, it wasn’t [a penalty]. He [Hummels] is not even looking at the ball and he’s fighting to get it and it hits him. You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game.”
I am not sure what UEFA are thinking by putting Zwayer at the England-game.
Back in 2021 Bellingham told me this after the game.
And was fined €40,000 by German football officials@ViaplayFotball https://t.co/g9g60Yu4iq— Jan Aage Fjørtoft (@JanAageFjortoft) July 8, 2024
Bellingham was reprimanded by the German FA for his post match comments on the referee and he was handed a fine of around €40,000 as well.
It will be interesting to see how the situation develops when Zwayer takes charge of England’s semifinals against Netherlands later this week. The 43-year-old referee was previously handed a six-month ban by the German FA in 2005 for his involvement in a match fixing scandal.
England fans will certainly hope that his history with Bellingham will not affect the game in a negative way, and the 43-year-old will be honest and transparent with his decision making.
England will be hoping to reach the finals of the UEFA Euro 2024 and win the competition this time around.
The post Referee slammed for match-fixing by Bellingham in 2021 will officiate England semis appeared first on CaughtOffside.