New Zealand: The UEFA Euro 2024 is at the business end of the proceedings. With just a few matches to go things are getting interesting in Germany. One of the recent developments firing up the entire Euro is the appointment of the controversial German referee Felix Zwayer. Zwayer was handed a six-month ban in 2005 for match-fixing. BREAKING NEWS: Felix Zwayer will be our referee for the semi-final between Netherlands and England. He did serve a six-month ban for a match-fixing in Germany. Uefa are a disgrace to hire a referee thats just served his ban, he should be doing some courses for it pic.twitter.com/buWmUKUVb3 — Football Bet Club (@FtblBetClub) July 9, 2024 According to a recent report by the Sun, Zwayer had received £ 250 from another referee, Robert Hoyzer, in 2005. This had led to a ban for Zwayer as he saw his refereeing career unfolding in a bad direction. But as a turn of events, Zwayer gets a sweet redemption as he officiates in one of the biggest games of continental football- the Euros. Earlier, Zwayer was also given the charge of the Netherlands vs Romania match of the quarterfinals. UEFA have appointed Felix Zwayer, who was previously convicted of match-fixing and banned for six months in 2005 after taking a €300 bribe from another official, as the referee for England vs. the Netherlands on Wednesday. Jude Bellingham was fined €40,000 for publicly… pic.twitter.com/6We1RVTkVo — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 8, 2024 Jude Bellingham vs Felix Zwayer Interestingly, Felix has a little bit of history with England's poster boy, Jude Bellingham. Back during his playing days with Dortmund, Bellingham had a heated episode during a Der Klassiker match back in 2021. According to the England midfielder, there was a penalty call which was not given by Zwayer. This eventually ended in a 3-2 defeat for Dortmund. In the post-match conference, Bellingham was visibly angry with the controversy as he remarked, "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)..." Felix Zwayer is returning to Dortmund for the semifinal England vs. Netherlands. The last time Zwayer was in Dortmund Bellingham said this after the game: pic.twitter.com/aVwBAhLEvd — Mastermind (@Mastermind_09) July 8, 2024 However, the German FA remained unperturbed by lousy protests from Bellingham. Moreover, a hefty fine of €40,000 (£33,970) was imposed on the England midfielder. Zwayer defended these outlandish claims of Bellingham and stated, "The situation was a standard corner kick..." It will be interesting to see whether that bittersweet experience has a domino effect on this game or not?
