Controversial Referee Appointed for Man Utd & Tottenham’s Europa League Final

Felix Zwayer, a German referee who once faced a six-month suspension due to a match-fixing scandal, is set to officiate the upcoming Europa League final featuring Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

In 2005, Zwayer became embroiled in a scandal orchestrated by Robert Hoyzer, a referee accused of widespread match-fixing in the German second division. Zwayer was among those who exposed Hoyzer’s extensive manipulation scheme.

Discussing the incident in an interview with Tagesspiegel am Sonntag at the time, Zwayer revealed that Hoyzer had approached him to secure the outcome of a game between Rot-Weiss Essen and Cologne. Zwayer recounted, “After being presented with Hoyzer’s proposal, I immediately reported it to my refereeing peers,” insisting that he had categorically refused the offer from the outset.

“I have a clear conscience, and I can sleep well because I know I didn’t tamper with the game,” the former real estate agent claimed.

While Hoyzer was banned for life, Zwayer received a six-month suspension after the German football federation (DFB) uncovered that he had accepted €300 from his compatriot.

Zwayer served his ban and took charge of his first top-flight match in 2009, before becoming a FIFA-listed referee three years later. News of the Berlin-born official’s suspension only came to light in 2014.

Jude Bellingham infamously clashed with Zwayer while playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021. After suffering defeat to Bayern Munich thanks to a debatable Robert Lewandowski penalty, the English midfielder fumed: “You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?” Bellingham was fined €40,000 for his comments and the scrutinised official took a two-month break from refereeing.

Despite his controversial past, Zwayer has continued to receive a glut of high-profile matches. The German official was reunited with Bellingham in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and actually awarded England a dubious penalty which helped the Three Lions find a way past the Netherlands.

Earlier this month, Zwayer took charge of Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final without any notable errors.

Spurs have twice been refereed by Zwayer. The north London outfit are yet to win a game under his watch, although their Champions League defeat to Barcelona in 2018 owed more to Lionel Messi’s brilliance than any blunder from from the official. United, by contrast, are yet to lose under Zwayer’s watch.

United and Tottenham are set to face off in the Europa League final on Wednesday, 21 May at Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium.