According to official sources, the UEFA Euro quarter-final match between Romania and the Netherlands will be officiated by Felix Zwayer, a referee from Berlin. He previously officiated Italy vs Albania and Portugal vs Turkey fixtures in this tournament, marking his third appearance.
At 43 years old, Zwayer has a controversial past – in 2005, he was implicated in Germany’s football scandal involving illegal sports investments. At that time, German referee Robert Hoyzer was sentenced to two years and five months in prison and received a lifetime ban for manipulating matches on behalf of a Croatian illegal betting platform.
Hoyzer had solicited assistance from his fellow referees, including then-23-year-old assistant referee Felix Zwayer. Before a match between Wuppertaler SV and Werder Bremen II, Hoyzer gave Zwayer €300, which Zwayer accepted. Eventually, Zwayer avoided a lifetime ban due to his cooperation in reporting the incident and providing truthful information, resulting in a six-month suspension instead.