Frank Christian
On May 21, Tottenham and Manchester United face off in an English showdown for the UEFA Europa League title.
Both Premier League teams aim to overcome their disappointing domestic seasons and provide their supporters with a moment of joy in Bilbao this Wednesday.
A win not only brings home a trophy, but it also ensures qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League—an opportunity currently unavailable to either team due to their league standings. Thus, this match carries significant weight.
This situation could pose challenges for the referee. So, who will preside over the match? And who is handling VAR? The Sporting News examines UEFA’s appointed officials.
Who will referee the Europa League final?
Felix Zwayer has been selected as the referee for the 2025 UEFA Europa League final.
The 44-year-old German referee, who celebrated his birthday just two days prior, officiated four matches at last year’s Euro 2024 and was in charge of the 2023 UEFA Nations League final.
Joining Zwayer are his German assistant referees, Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz, while the fourth official is Italian Maurizio Mariani.
The video assistant referee (VAR) for this final is Bastian Dankert, alongside his compatriot Benjamin Brand. The reserve VAR is Italy’s Daniele Bindoni, and the VAR Support official is Carlos del Cerro Grande from Spain.
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Zwayer’s refereeing career began in Germany’s lower leagues in 2004, and he progressed to the 2. Bundesliga in 2007, reaching the Bundesliga two years later.
He boasts a remarkable career that faced a potential setback in 2005 when he received a six-month suspension for accepting a €300 bribe from fellow referee Robert Hoyzer.
Hoyzer was banned for life due to his involvement in a match-fixing scandal. The DFB kept Zwayer’s ban under wraps until a 2014 report by the newspaper Die Zeit disclosed it. It was later revealed that his relatively brief suspension was partly due to his role in alerting authorities about Hoyzer’s actions.
Zwayer officiated England’s semifinal victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and Arsenal’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Paris Saint-Germain this year.
What was the incident involving Jude Bellingham and Felix Zwayer?
Jude Bellingham faced disciplinary actions from the German football authorities for comments he made about Zwayer while playing for Borussia Dortmund.
The England international criticized Zwayer’s past ban following Dortmund’s defeat to Bayern Munich in December 2021.
“You appoint a referee who has previously fixed matches for the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?” Bellingham remarked during a Viaplay interview.
As a consequence, Bellingham was fined €40,000 by the DFB, and Zwayer stepped back from officiating briefly after the incident, returning for a 2. Bundesliga match between Hannover and Darmstadt in February 2022.
