England’s Euro 2024 semi-final versus the Netherlands will be officiated by a German referee who was as soon as prohibited over match-fixing and has a history with Jude Bellingham.

UEFA have actually verified Felix Zwayer will be the man in the middle for the clash versus the Dutch on Wednesday, as England seek to reach the last for the 2nd Euros in a row.

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Zwayer, 43, will lead an all-German officiating group in Dortmund along with assistants Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmuller, plus VAR Bastian Dankert.

Zwayer was offered a six-month restriction by his nation’s football federation in 2006, having actually worked as an assistant referee along with Robert Hoyzer who was condemned of match repairing.

Zwayer has actually constantly rejected being associated with Hoyzer’s repairing of a match in between Wuppertal and Werder Bremen B in 2004, although an examination found he had actually accepted a payment of €300 from Hoyzer.

Having been among the authorities who brought Hoyzer’s match-fixing plot to light, the reasonably brief period of Zwayer’s restriction was an acknowledgment of that contribution. Hoyzer was prohibited for life.

England midfielder Bellingham was fined by the German federation having actually referenced Zwayer’s participation because scandal after his previous club Borussia Dortmund lost versus Bayern Munich in 2021.

Zwayerhad denied charge appeals from Dortmund and granted a late spot-kick to Bayern Munich for a Mats Hummels’ handball.

“Well for me it wasn’t [a penalty] you know,” Bellingham informed Viaplay Football after the match. “He [Hummels] is not even looking at the ball and he’s fighting to get it.

“It hits him and I don’t even think he’s looking at the ball but you know you can look at a lot of the decisions in the game.

“You give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany — what do you expect?”

In action, Zwayer countered at Bellingham for what he considered ‘individual, disparaging and disrespectful’ remarks.

“I would prefer to clarify this in a personal conversation with Jude Bellingham and have offered such a personal conversation to Borussia Dortmund,” Zwayer stated.

“For me, it’s not about punishment, but about the realisation that he went too far. I would accept a sincere apology.

“The statement deliberately creates the false impression that I did not referee the match to the best of my ability. It is personal, disparaging and disrespectful. Even if you put yourself in the subjective perspective, which is marked by emotion, his statement is far from professional or factual.”

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Zwayer’s participation in the match-fixing scandal was just exposed in 2014 due to an examination by German paper Die Zeit.

The outlet reported Munich criminal judge Rainer Koch reached the decision on behalf of the German football association.

The judgment mentioned that ‘no intentional errors could be proven against’ Zwayer, however the phrasing of the decision reached by the German football association concluded he had actually accepted a kickback.

Zwayer’s restriction was lowered to 6 months due to his cooperation in aiding with the examination and the prosecuting of Hoyzer, who was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail.

Zwayer then went back to football after his restriction and has actually been FIFA noted because 2012.

The Football Association has actually decreased to talk about the matter, while competition organisers UEFA have actually not openly commented.

Zwayer has actually currently organized Italy v Albania, Turkey v Portugal and Romania v Netherlands at Euro 2024.

He was likewise assistant VAR for England’s video games versus Sweden and Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.

England legend Stuart Pearce is amongst those to have actually questioned the knowledge of designating Zwayer for this video game.

“It horrifies me to hear that, it really does,” the England legend informed talkSPORT when quizzed on his match-fixing past.

“Listen, if he’s been a clean referee and honest for 20 years, then fine. But it is out there.”

Pearce included to talkSPORT.com: “I gather from those around me, who have seen him in recent years, that he is an outstanding referee – which is a real plus.

“But I’m not sure why UEFA would’ve appointed him to this game with the situation with Jude Bellingham at club level.

“I’m quite surprised they’ve got involved in that. They’ve left themselves open to criticism when there’s no need to have done so.

“I have no doubts he’ll referee the game in the right and proper manner – it is just how people perceive that if there is a decision that they deem contentious against England.”

England protector Luke Shaw, on the other hand, was asked whether the group were unpleasant about Zwayer’s consultation at an interview on Monday.

“No, not at all. We have to respect UEFA in whoever they decide to pick as the ref. That won’t change anything about us,” he stated.

“We still just focus on the game in hand, not too much about what refs we’ve been given or this and that. For us, it won’t make any difference.”

Asked if he had actually ever played in a video game where he felt the referee protested his group, Shaw responded: “No, not really. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, you get angry in games and you might think that, but no.

“Whatever ref has actually been selected, has actually been selected. We simply need to be all set and not concentrate on that.”

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