UEFA have made a closing resolution on the referee for England’s Euro 2024 semi-final showdown with the Netherlands after initially assigning the sport to a convicted match-fixer.
It was introduced by UEFA on Sunday that Felix Zwayer, 43, would officiate the match in Dortmund on Wednesday evening, regardless of serving a six-month ban after being discovered to have accepted a €300 (£253.82) bribe from fellow referee Robert Hoyzer in a 2005 scandal.
Mail Sport contacted UEFA for remark and requested how, given his background, Zwayer may very well be chosen to officiate such a fixture. It’s understood that UEFA bosses carried out a evaluate which has now concluded.
Mail Sport understands Zwayer will stay answerable for Wednesday’s semi-final, with UEFA standing by their preliminary appointment.
Zwayer was implicated in a scandal which centred round second tier boss Hoyzer, who took bribes to repair a number of matches.
UEFA have determined to face by referee Felix Zwayer (pictured) for the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands regardless of the official being a convicted match-fixer
England will likely be hoping to e book their place within the closing by beating the Netherlands in Dortmund
The Netherlands have discovered kind within the knockout levels and can present a stern check
Zwayer, then a linesman, assisted him in a single match and took a cost of €300 (£253.82).
He was banned from officiating for six months in a transfer that was saved quiet till German newspaper Zeit broke the story years later.
The Zeit investigation discovered that whereas Hoyzer, who was sentenced to 2 years and 5 months in jail, Zwayer’s condominium was searched and he was discovered to have behaved in a ‘grossly anti-sporting’ method.
The probe additionally discovered Zwayer didn’t report Hoyzer’s match-fixing ‘of which he was conscious’ and that he accepted €300 (£253.82) from Hoyzer earlier than a match between SV Wuppertal and Werder Bremen Amateure in Could 2004, with the intention to ‘keep away from crucial conditions for Wuppertaler SV as an assistant referee’.
Munich felony choose Rainer Koch was liable for the case for the DFB which discovered Zwayer did take the bribe however that he had additionally contributed to fixing the case and that no intentional errors may very well be discovered towards him.
The controversial referee additionally has historical past with Jude Bellingham after officiating a Bundesliga match between the Englishman’s former membership Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in 2021.
Zwayer turned down Dortmund appeals for a penalty throughout the crunch conflict and later awarded Bayern a spot-kick after penalising Mats Hummels for handball.
Robert Lewandowski transformed to provide the guests a win which took them 4 factors away from Dortmund on the prime of the desk.
Zwayer has historical past with England’s Jude Bellingham after the midfielder introduced up the referee’s controversial previous after a recreation in 2021
The then-18-year-old Bellingham hit out at Zwayer after Dortmund’s loss to Bayern Munich
Bayern would go on to win the league, with Dortmund second. Bellingham, who was 18 on the time, hit out at Zwayer after the ultimate whistle.
‘You possibly can take a look at loads of the choices within the recreation,’ Bellingham stated in a post-match TV interview.
‘You give a referee, that has match-fixed earlier than, the largest recreation in Germany. What do you anticipate?’
Bellingham was subsequently fined €40,000 (£33,843) and even investigated by German police, whereas Zwayer took a two-month break from officiating.
Nevertheless, Dortmund insisted they have been ‘100 per cent’ behind their participant.
Sporting director Michael Zorc stated: ‘It was a really emotional scenario, he was very disenchanted and solely named identified information.’
Chief government Hans-Joachim Watzke added: ‘To be clear, Jude was not spreading lies, however what occurred up to now.
‘This assertion should not have been, however I do not see something unfaithful there.’
But regardless of his controversial previous and historical past with Bellingham, Zwayer remains to be set to referee England’s match towards the Netherlands, with the winners because of tackle Spain or France in Sunday’s closing.
