Explosive reunion for Bellingham in the European Championship semi-final
The German national team is out, but a German is still in the spotlight for the Europa League Football Championship semifinal: Referee Felix Zwayer will referee the match between England and the Netherlands. He will do so for the first time since an incident involving Jude Bellingham.
German referee Felix Zwayer will referee the EM semifinal on this Wednesday (21:00/ARD, MagentaTV and live on ntv.de) in Dortmund between the Netherlands and England. This was announced by the European Football Union and the German Football Federation. A final appearance on the coming Sunday is highly unlikely for Zwayer.
For the 43-year-old Zwayer, this will be his fourth appearance at the home European Championship. Previously, the Berliner had also refereed the Netherlands' quarterfinal against Romania (3:0) and the group matches Italy against Albania (2:1) and Turkey against Portugal (0:3).
Assisted on the lines will once again be Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmueller. Fourth official is Daniel Siebert, who has also been in action as a main referee at the EM. As video referees, Bastian Dankert and Christian Dingert are planned, with Marco Fritz standing by their side.
"What do you expect?"
The scheduling is intriguing due to a allegation made by English offensive star Jude Bellingham in December 2021. The former Borussia Dortmund professional had criticized Zwayer sharply after his controversial refereeing in the top game against FC Bayern Munich (2:3) and indirectly accused him of bribery in reference to the 18-year-old scandal involving Robert Hoyzer.
"You give a referee, who has already rescheduled games, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?", Borussia Dortmund's most important player, Bellingham, had commented after the game with FC Bayern against Zwayer in December 2021.
Zwayer dismissed these accusations, but also took a break from refereeing due to heavy criticism. Bellingham was fined by the DFB, and since then Zwayer has not refereed any more Borussia Dortmund games. Now they meet again - and on the biggest stage.
Former top German referee Manuel Graefe strongly protested against the nomination. "Reckless towards everyone ...", wrote the 50-year-old at X: "Just a power demonstration inside and out (we decide) - regardless of performance/past."
Despite the German national team's absence, the European Football Championship 2024 spotlight still shines on a German figure – Jude Bellingham. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder had previously criticized referee Felix Zwayer following a controversial ruling in a game against FC Bayern Munich. This semifinal match between England and the Netherlands marks their reunion, bringing renewed attention to the past incident.
