England are set to face the Netherlands on Wednesday in the semifinal of the UEFA European Championship, Euro 2024 in Germany, with German referee Felix Zwayer announced as official of the match.
The appointment of the 43-year-old referee has raised eyebrows due to his controversial history with England midfielder, Jude Bellingham.
In December 2021, after a Borussia Dortmund match against Bayern Munich, Bellingham criticised Zwayer for denying multiple penalty appeals and awarding Bayern a penalty for an unintentional handball by Mats Hummels.
In his post-match comments, Bellingham said : “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” (h/t Sky Sports).
As a result of these comments, the German FA fined Bellingham around €40,000.
Truly, the referee, Zwayer, has a controversial past, having been handed a six-month ban by the German FA in 2005 for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.
With Zwayer now set to oversee England’s semi-final against the Netherlands, fans and players are concerned about potential biases.
England supporters hope that Zwayer’s history with Bellingham will not negatively impact the game and that he will remain impartial and transparent in his decision-making.
England hope to secure a win into the finals of the UEFA Euro 2024 and ultimately win the championship.
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