Gareth Southgate reacts to Felix Zwayer officiating England’s semi-final with the Netherlands after it emerged the referee has previously served a ban for MATCH FIXING and clashed with Jude Bellingham
- England’s semi-final against the Netherlands will be led by Felix Zwayer
- Zwayer, 43, was previously suspended for his role in a match-fixing scandal
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Gareth Southgate has become a bit cocky… and the mask has fallen
Gareth Southgate says he has no problem appointing a disgraced referee with a history with Jude Bellingham for Wednesday night’s Euro 2024 semi-final.
Felix Zwayer, who was suspended for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal and subsequently convicted by Bellingham, will take charge of the England v Netherlands match in Dortmund.
After Borussia Dortmund lost a crucial Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich under Zwayer’s leadership in 2021, Bellingham – then a Dortmund player – lashed out at the opponent in a post-match interview.
“You can look at a lot of decisions in the game,” he said. “Give a referee, who has done match-fixing before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?”
Zwayer was suspended for six months following a scandal in 2005 in which he allegedly accepted a bribe of 300 euros from fellow referee Rober Hoyzer.
Referee Felix Zwayer pictured at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion on the eve of the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands on Wednesday
His appointment shocked some as he was once suspended for his role in a match-fixing scandal
Following his comments, the then 18-year-old Bellingham was fined €40,000 and investigated by German police, while Zwayer was banned from refereeing for two months.
The appointment caused controversy, but Southgate remained relaxed about the situation.
“No,” he said when asked if he had any problems. “I think everyone knows how I deal with referees, with total respect for every referee.
‘I know the two guys at UEFA who run the referee programme and I think they appreciate the respect that we as a team have shown the officials over the last eight years.
‘I think there is a right way to behave towards officials and I think that is very important for the sport.
Zwayer also has a history with former England Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham (left)
But England manager Gareth Southgate is not bothered by UEFA’s decision to appoint Zwayer
‘So no, I don’t care who the referee is.
‘He will play at a very high level because that is the way UEFA makes those decisions and the way they monitor matches during the tournament. So for me it is not even a consideration.’