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4 months ago
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Jude Bellingham's furious attack on 'match-fixing' referee Felix Zwayer has resurfaced as he prepares to adjudicate England's semi final against the Netherlands tomorrow.
Three Lions fans are scrambling to fly out to Dortmund for the high-stakes encounter, which could see their team have another shot at glory at their second successive Euros final.
But many are fuming at UEFA's decision to allow Zwayer to oversee the game, given his 2005 conviction for taking a €300 (£253.82) bribe from a fellow referee who was fixing the match.
After he oversaw Borussia Dortmund's contentious 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2021, Bellingham - then playing for Dortmund - hit out at his appointment and was subsequently fined.
'You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game,' Bellingham said in a post-match TV interview. 'You give a referee, that has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?'
Jude Bellingham, then 18, hit out at Felix Zwayer after Dortmund's loss to Bayern Munich
UEFA have decided to stand by referee Zwayer (pictured) for the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands
Bellingham, 21, is known for his passion on the pitch and some fans will worry Zwayer's presence could serve to provoke him.
The midfielder is England's biggest star and has played a crucial part in the campaign so far, including a spectacular last-gasp goal against Slovakia and a penalty in the shoot-out against Switzerland.
Zwayer attracted Bellingham's ire after officiating a Bundesliga match between the Englishman's former club Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in 2021.
The ref turned down Dortmund appeals for a penalty during the crunch clash and later awarded Bayern a spot-kick after penalising Mats Hummels for handball.
A 2005 investigation found Zwayer - then a linesman - accepted a bribe from match referee Robert Hoyzer to favour second-tier German club Wuppertaler SV in their match against Werder Bremen Amateure in May 2004.
The money was paid by Robert Hoyzer, the main match referee, who was subsequently banned for life.
Zwayer was among a group of officials who brought Hoyzer's match-fixing plot to light, hence the decision to only ban him for half a year.
He will lead an all-German officiating team at tomorrow's match in Dortmund which also includes his assistants Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmuller, plus VAR Bastian Dankert.
Bellingham, 21, is known for his passion on the pitch and some fans will worry that Zwayer's presence could serve to provoke him
Mail Sport contacted UEFA for comment and asked how, given his background, Zwayer could be chosen to officiate such a fixture. It is understood that UEFA bosses conducted a review which has now concluded.
Zwayer's six-month ban was kept quiet until German newspaper Zeit broke the story years later.
The investigation found that while Hoyzer, who was sentenced to two years and five months in prison, Zwayer's apartment was searched and he was found to have behaved in a 'grossly anti-sporting' manner.
After Bellingham's attack on Zwayer, Dortmund insisted they were '100 per cent' behind their player.
Sporting director Michael Zorc said: 'It was a very emotional situation, he was very disappointed and only named known facts.'
Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke added: 'To be clear, Jude was not spreading lies, but what happened in the past.
'This statement shouldn't have been, but I don't see anything untrue there.'
The winners of Wednesday's game are due to take on Spain or France in the final on Sunday.
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