Tottenham vs Man United Europa League final ref served ban for role in match-fixing scandal
German match official Felix Zwayer, who was chosen by UEFA to oversee the clash between Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou's sides, was previously banned for his role in a match-fixing plot
Manchester United's Europa League final clash with Tottenham will be refereed by an official who was banned for his role in a match-fixing plot.
German match official Felix Zwayer was chosen by UEFA to oversee the clash between Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou's sides. Zwayer, 43, recently refereed the Champions League semi-final second leg clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
However, Zwayer's reputation as a match official is tainted by a scandal he was involved in back in 2005. Two decades ago, when he would have been in his early 20s, Zwayer was investigated for allegedly accepting a bribe of £250 from referee Robert Hoyzer.
In 2006, Hoyzer was handed a lifetime ban after he admitted fixing and attempting to fix a series of matches. It was believed the German received bribes of up to €67,000 (£56,650) in exchange for fixing four matches for a Croatian gambling ring.
He was revealed to have fixed a German Cup match, which saw Hamburg knocked out by Paderborn, a clash which led to the sacking of then-Hamburg coach Klaus Toppmoller. One of the decisions saw Hoyzer send off Hamburg forward Emile Mpenza for no apparent reason.
Meanwhile, Zwayer was given a six-month suspension as he was investigated for allegedly taking a bribe of £250. Zwayer denied any wrongdoing, but was one of several officials to alert the authorities of Hoyzer's scheme.
He claimed that Hoyzer asked him to fix the result of a 2.Bundesliga match between Rot-Weiss Essen and Cologne. Zwayer said: "When I got this firm offer from Hoyzer, I went to my refereeing colleagues. I stress once again that I strongly rejected this offer straight away."
Since finishing his ban, Zwayer has become one of the finest officials on the continent, and is regularly handed huge matches to referee. He was in charge of England's 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
In that clash, he was reunited with Jude Bellingham, who infamously brought up Zwayer's ban, while criticising the official's performance while he was at Borussia Dortmund. After Zwayer turned down a late penalty appeal for Dortmund before awarding one to Bayern Munich for a contentious handball from Mats Hummels, a furious Bellingham referred to the official's ban.
The now Real Madrid star, who was fined €40,000 (£34,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct, said: "You give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany - what do you expect?"
Zwayer demanded a personal apology from the England international, telling Bild: "I would prefer to clarify this in a personal conversation with Jude Bellingham and have offered such a personal conversation to Borussia Dortmund.
"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."