Felix Zwayer has been assigned the job as main referee in the European Championship semifinal between England and the Netherlands.
This despite him having been convicted of match-fixing – and having a history with Jude Bellingham.
In December 2021, Jude Bellingham was fined approximately 456,000 kronor for making inappropriate comments about the referee after the match between his then club team, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern München.
If you give the biggest match in Germany to a referee who has previously been convicted of match-fixing, what do you expect to happen then? said Bellingham then.
The referee he was talking about was German Felix Zwayer – who has now been assigned the European Championship semifinal between England and the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Zwayer was involved in a match-fixing scandal in 2005, and was given a six-month suspension. However, the German has since made his way back to world football and has refereed at the highest level for a longer period.
The 43-year-old referee has refereed several matches during the championship, including the Netherlands' round of 16 match against Romania.
The semifinal between England and the Netherlands begins at 21.00 on Wednesday, July 10.