Zwayer to referee Netherlands v England

A German referee once criticised over his match-fixing past by Jude Bellingham will officiate England's European Championship semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Felix Zwayer, 43, will lead an all-German refereeing team.

In 2021, when Bellingham played for Borussia Dortmund, the England midfielder was fined 40,000 euros (£34,000) for referencing the official's previous ban for match fixing.

Zwayer was given a six-month ban in 2005 after he was investigated for taking a £250 bribe from official Robert Hoyzer.

Hoyzer was subsequently given a ban for life from football.

What did Bellingham say about Zwayer?

Bellingham's comments came after Dortmund lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich.

During the game, the referee did not give Dortmund a penalty but did award a spot-kick to their opponents.

Bellingham, who was 18 at the time, told streaming service Viaplay: "You give a referee that has match fixed before the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?"

Bellingham has played a key role in England's 2024 Euros campaign.

He scored an equaliser in the final minute of normal time in their last-16 match against Slovakia and took a successful penalty in the team's shootout in the quarter-final against Switzerland.

Bellingham also scored against Serbia in the group stage.

The Football Association has declined to comment.

Uefa are also not commenting on the matter but have no plans to replace Zwayer.