Who is Felix Zwayer: The UEFA Europa League Final Referee
The 2024/24 UEFA Europa League final will be played in Bilbao on Wednesday, 21st May. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are two sides that are taking part in the final. Truth be told, both sides need the trophy desperately. Tottenham haven’t lifted any sort of silverware in nearly two decades, and for the,m it will be a massive load off their backs. Man United meanwhile, have been in free fall ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, and the UEFA Europa League is probably the biggest trophy they have won in that period, under Jose Mourinho back in 2017.
At the time of writing, the two sides are 16th and 17th in the Premier League. Essentially, whichever side wins, for them this will be a very successful season while for the other, it will be one of their worst in recent history.
Who is the UEFA Europa League Final referee?
German referee Felix Zwayer, who once served a ban for alleged involvement in a match-fixing plot, will take charge of next week’s all-English UEFA Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United. Zwayer, now 43, was given a six-month suspension in 2006 after he was investigated for taking a £250 bribe from official Robert Hoyzer, who was subsequently handed a life ban. It emerged that Zwayer, who has denied wrongdoing, was one of the officials to notify the authorities of Hoyzer’s match-fixing scheme, and his relatively short ban was recognition of that. Since the ban was imposed, Zwayer has become one of Europe’s leading referees and officiated in Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final second leg defeat by Paris St-Germain last Wednesday.
He rose through the amateur and semi-professional ranks, eventually officiating games in the Bundesliga from 2009 onwards. By 2012, he was refereeing on the international stage and has been trusted with big games, such as the Nations League final between Spain and Italy last year. Zwayer also took charge of England’s European Championship semi-final victory over the Netherlands last summer.
Born in Berlin, Zwayer revealed during an interview with UEFA in 2023 how he always wanted to be a referee. “I was a player, and I attended an indoor football tournament,” he said. “I was immediately fascinated by the two guys who were in charge of matches. I went straight home and told my parents that I wanted to be a referee.”
When England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham played for Borussia Dortmund, the midfielder was fined 40,000 euros (£34,000) in 2021 for criticising Zwayer by making a reference to his ban. Speaking to broadcaster Viaplay after a loss to Bayern Munich, Bellingham said: “You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?”
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