Referee Felix Zweier, who was previously accused by Jude Bellingham of match-fixing, has been chosen to officiate the UEFA European Football Championship (UEFA) Euro 2024 semifinal between England and the Netherlands.
“England fans are furious that a referee accused of a match-fixing scandal by Jude Bellingham has decided to take charge of the Euro semi-final,” The Sun reported on Monday (June 9), noting that Tsubaye, who was banned for six months in 2005 for accepting bribes from another referee, will take charge of the match between England and the Netherlands.
“Bellingham was fined £34,000 (about $60,000) in 2021 for criticizing Zweier after Borussia Dortmund’s 2-3 loss to Bayern Munich,” the outlet continued.
According to the media, Bellingham was furious that his team was not awarded a penalty at the time, and he went on a rant after the game. “I’m surprised that a referee would cheat before the biggest game in Germany,” he said after the game, adding, “What do you expect?” He strongly criticized referee Zweier.
The last time Zweier was involved in match-fixing was in 2005, when he was a referee in the German second division. He admitted to accepting a bribe of £250 (about $440,000) and was punished. He was promoted to the Bundesliga four years later, and in 2012, he was named to the FIFA World Referee List.
England fans are concerned because the match he officiates is in Bellingham, the same city he criticized. It’s natural to wonder if Zweier would make a decision in favor of the other team.
England fans reacted with mixed feelings, saying things like, “How can a referee who was involved in a match-fixing dispute with one of our best players 카지노 커뮤니티 be in charge of a match against the Netherlands?” and “There are plenty of experienced and unbiased referees in the world, why did they choose this guy?”
England left full-back Luke Shaw was cool about the game, saying: “We have to respect whoever UEFA chooses to referee,” he said, “We’re still focused on the game, we don’t really care what the referee is like or anything like that. It won’t make any difference to us.”
Euro 2024 was also plagued by officiating controversy in the quarterfinal match between Germany and Spain on June 6. Referee Anthony Taylor, who became a favorite of South Korean fans when he failed to award a corner against Ghana at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, was the main culprit.
He didn’t issue a single caution for a rough tackle on Tony Cross in the first half and didn’t even look at the video assistant referee (VAR) for a handball foul on Spain in stoppage time. It was a penalty that could have been awarded, but he drew the line without a second look. In the end, Germany ended the tournament with a 1-2 loss to Spain.
England is looking to win a major tournament for the first time in 58 years since the 1966 World Cup. Their roster is as strong as ever. They had a poor group stage and tournament, but managed to make it all the way to the quarterfinals. However, if there are any problems with the referee in the quarterfinals, England’s notoriously rowdy fans will not be happy.
The Euro 2024 quarterfinal match between England and the Netherlands is scheduled to take place on June 11 at the Zignale Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany.