FELIX ZWAYER will officiate in Paris as the Gunners aim to overturn a 1-0 deficit in a crucial Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday 7 May, 2025.
Here is everything you need to know about the referee who received a six-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.
Who is Felix Zwayer?
Felix Zwayer is a German football referee, based in Berlin.
Born on May 18, 1981, he officiates for SC Charlottenburg of the Berlin Football Association.
He is a FIFA referee and is ranked as a UEFA elite category referee.
Felix began his refereeing career in 2003 and worked his way up through the ranks of German football.
He made his Bundesliga debut in 2012 and soon become a regular fixture in their matches.
In 2005, his career took a hit when he found himself involved in a match-fixing scandal.
It was revealed that he accepted a €300 bribe from referee Robert Hoyzer, who was involved in a larger match-fixing scandal at the time in Germany.
Felix was banned from refereeing for six months by the German Football Association (DFB) as a result of his involvement.
England sensation Jude Bellingham referred to the scandal in a post-match interview and was fined £33,970 from the German FA for his comments about Felix in 2021.
What big matches has Felix Zwayer officiated before?
Felix has been involved in various UEFA and FIFA competitions, including qualifiers for the World Cup and the European Championship.
He has also refereed matches in top club competitions such as the Champions League and the Europa League.
The German has refereed 36 Champions League games in his career with his most recent Champions League assignment being Barcelona’s 1-0 win against Benfica on March 5, 2025.
Felix’s last game officiating an English side was Liverpool’s 2-1 triumph over Lille on January 21, 2025, which also saw a red card for Lille’s Aissa Mandi.
Despite the scandal, Felix continued to work his way up the ranks and was selected by FIFA to be one of the video assistant referees for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
But in December 2021, he was heavily criticised for not awarding Borussia Dortmund a penalty and for sending off coach Marco Rose during a game.
You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?
Jude Bellingham
After the match, the former Dortmund player Jude Bellingham, who now plays for Real Madrid, referred to Felix’s past.
Bellingham told ViaPlay after Dortmund’s 3-2 loss: “You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?”
Felix took a break from refereeing after the incident, but returned in February 2022.
What else has Felix Zwayer done?
Away from the pitch, Felix is a real estate manager.
He owns a company with three other partners.
What is Felix Zwayer’s VAR history?
The Bundesliga pioneered the rise of VAR in European football, introducing the technology in 2017 and becoming one of the first leagues in Europe to do so.
VAR is regularly used in Germany where Felix has officiated the majority of his 384 games with the whistle.
Felix has used it in a number of matches, including the match where Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund in December 2021.
He controversially chose not to award Dortmund a penalty for a foul on Marco Reus but subsequently gave Bayern a spot-kick for a dubious handball on Mats Hummels.
The new semi-automated offside technology denied Mikel Merino an equaliser in the first leg and it is a system yet to be implemented in German football.
With the system being introduced next season to the Bundesliga, Felix has been involved in the trialing of it.
The Gunners will be hoping that it won’t spoil their fun again when they face PSG at the Parc de Princes.
Read the full article here
