Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United referee Felix Zwayer served ban for involvement in match-fixing plot; updates

A referee who has previously served a ban for involvement in a match-fixing plot, has been appointed to take charge of the all-English Europa League final on May 22.

Felix Zwayer will take the whistle for the Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United final, despite having served a six-month suspension in 2006 for a match-fixing scheme.

At the time, Zwayer was investigated by Germany's football federation (DFB) for taking a £250 bribe from official Robert Hoyzer to fix the result of a Bundesliga match.

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Zwayer was cited as one of the officials who notified the governing body about Hoyzer's scheme, which resulted in the latter being hit with a lifetime ban.

Zwayer, now 43, was subsequently banned for six months to reflect his involvement but has since gone on to become one of the leading referees in Europe.

The German referee returned from his ban to take charge of his first top-flight match in 2009, before being named as a FIFA-listed official in 2012.

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Referee Felix Zwayer. UEFA via Getty Images

Zwayer has gone on to officiate several major matches including Arsenal's second-leg Champions League semi final defeat against Paris St-Germain last Wednesday.

He also took charge of England's European Championship semi final win over the Netherlands in 2024 - a decision that was criticised by England star Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham previously questioned the integrity of Zwayer after his former club Borussia Dortmund were defeated by Bayern Munich in a 2021 match under the German's watch.

The 21-year-old was fined $64,000 for his comments as he made reference to Zwayer's six-month suspension.

Still, such criticism has not prevented Zwayer from being named as a match official by FIFA.

Manchester United have been appointed Zwayer as a match official on four occasions since 2016, while Tottenham have only been refereed by him in two games.

The Europa League final will be held in Spain at Bilbao's San Mames Stadium.

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