DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Felix Zwayer has been appointed as the referee for England's upcoming semifinal match against the Netherlands at Euro 2024. This will mark Zwayer's fourth game at the tournament, with his previous assignment involving the Dutch team in their 3-0 victory over Romania in the round of 16.
The decision to appoint Zwayer has stirred controversy due to his past association with a match-fixing scandal in Germany. In 2006, Zwayer, then a young assistant referee, received a six-month ban over allegations of receiving money from another referee, Robert Hoyzer, who was banned for match-fixing. The incident involved Zwayer accepting 300 euros from Hoyzer before a game in 2004. However, a subsequent ruling in 2014 concluded that while Zwayer failed to report the incident promptly, there was no evidence of him manipulating any matches. In fact, Zwayer eventually provided crucial evidence in the case.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who was fined 40,000 euros in 2021 for criticizing Zwayer's appointment while playing for Borussia Dortmund, expressed his discontent with the decision. Following Dortmund's 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich in December 2021, Bellingham questioned the choice of assigning a referee with a history of match-fixing allegations to such significant matches.
Despite the controversy surrounding Zwayer, UEFA and the German soccer federation have confirmed his appointment for the crucial England-Netherlands clash. Notably, Zwayer has not officiated any Dortmund games since the incident involving Bellingham's comments but will return to the same stadium for the upcoming semifinal.
In a separate development, Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic has been selected to oversee the semifinal game between Spain and France scheduled for Tuesday.
For more updates and coverage on Euro 2024, visit AP Euro 2024.
