UEFA Appoints Ref Banned for Match Fixing to England-Netherlands

• The UEFA appointed Felix Zwayer as referee for the Euro 2024 semifinal match between England and Netherlands after previously confessing to match fixing.
• Zwayer has officiated three Euro 2024 matches despite being named in a 2005 match fixing scandal.
• Jude Bellingham of England criticized the integrity of Zwayer in a post-match interview in 2021.

DORTMUND – The UEFA appointed a referee who previously confessed to match fixing for Wednesday’s UEFA Euro 2024 semifinal match between England and Netherlands. Many have doubted both match and legal sports betting integrity for Wednesday, including English midfielder Jude Bellingham.

German referee Felix Zwayer was involved in a match-fixing scandal back in 2005 and now will cause question of his integrity again for Wednesday’s semifinals match. Zwayer confessed to fixing a match by agreeing to make incorrect decisions and accepting a $325 bribe from referee Robert Hoyzer.

Hoyzer was jailed for fixing matches as a part of the €2 million scandal, while Zwayer was suspended just six months and continues to referee regularly for the UEFA. Zwayer oversaw three Euro 2024 matches already, including two group stage matches and Netherlands’ 3-0 quarterfinals victory against Romania.

Jude Bellingham Previously Fined for Criticizing Zwayer

The UEFA’s decision is controversial even amongst players, as English midfielder Jude Bellingham was fined €40,000 back in 2021 for questioning Zwayer’s fairness as referee.

“You give the biggest game in Germany to a referee who has already fixed games before. What do you expect?” said Bellingham in a TV interview after a Bundesliga loss to Bayern Munich during his time with Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham was recently served a one-game suspension and fined €30,000 for making an inappropriate gesture towards the Slovakia bench, but he is available for Wednesday’s match. England is the soccer betting favorite for the semifinals with +160 odds to defeat Netherlands.

News tags: England | Euro 2024 | Felix Zwayer | Jude Bellingham | Netherlands | soccer | UEFA | UEFA European Championship