According to reports, UEFA has appointed Felix Zwayer, a 43-year-old referee from Berlin, to oversee the Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham. Both English teams, who have had turbulent seasons in the Premier League, hope to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League by winning this tournament.

Zwayer has officiated over 685 professional matches at national and international levels. Last week, he refereed the Champions League semi-final second leg between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. He also officiated the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands, where Ollie Watkins scored the winning goal in the dying minutes.

However, Zwayer’s past remains controversial. In 2005, the German Football Association suspended him for six months for accepting a bribe. Investigations revealed that he had received €300 as an assistant referee to influence a match in favor of Wuppertaler SV against Werder Bremen Amateur.

Although the main referee involved in the scandal, Robert Hoyzer, was banned for life, Zwayer received only a six-month suspension because he was one of the whistleblowers who exposed the corruption.

Despite the controversy, Zwayer has rebuilt his career and become one of UEFA’s trusted referees. However, his selection for high-profile European matches has often sparked criticism. The most notable backlash came when he was chosen to officiate the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands, particularly from English fans due to his past connection with England star Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham, while playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021, criticized Zwayer after a 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich, saying, “When a referee who has been involved in match-fixing is assigned to such a big game, what do you expect?” His comments resulted in a €40,000 fine.

The Europa League final will be Zwayer’s first major European club competition final, though he previously refereed the 2023 UEFA Nations League final. This season, he has officiated 37 matches across various competitions, only one of which was in the Europa League.