UEFA appointed convicted German referee Felix Zwayer for Euro 2024

UEFA has appointed convicted match-fixer German referee Felix Zwayer for England vs Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semifinals. This match will held on July 11, 2024, in Dortmund.

However, the controversial appointment of Felix by UEFA has caused widespread concerns among football players and fans. Felix was suspended for six months in 2005 after being charged in a match-fixing controversy.

He was charged with taking a bribe of €2 million from a fellow referee Robert Hoyzer for match-fixing. He admitted to accepting a bribe to influence the result of Wuppertaler SV and Werder Bremen II in 2004. This scandal-hit German football and led to significant consequences for those involved including Felix.

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After completing the ban, he also took a two-month vacation from refereeing in 2021 following a controversial Der Klassiker game between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich at Singal Iduna Park in the Bundesliga.

Felix did not agree to Borussia’s requests for a handball penalty. Later, he awarded Bayern a penalty for a handball by Mats Hummels of Borussia. Following this, Borussia player Jude Bellingham became upset with the referee’s decision.

Jude called on Felix and said you give a referee who has already rigged matches the greatest game in Germany. What are you expecting? However, the German Football Association (DFB) fined Jude 34,000 euro fines for passing remarks against Felix.

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Despite all these controversial records of a convicted German referee, UEFA appointed Felix Zwayer. The upcoming England vs Netherlands Euro 2024 match will be Felix’s fourth game of the Euro 2024.

Jude is again part of the England squad and shares a conflicting history with Felix. Hence, it will become an interesting match to witness how things go this time in the semi-final match.

He has already supervised group-stage matches between Italy-Albania and Portugal-Turkey for Euro 2024. He also participated as a referee in the Netherlands vs Romania Euro 2024.

UEFA has regularly taken the services of referee Felix across its club and national team competitions. He also served in the Nations League final between Croatia and Spain in 2023.