Tottenham and Manchester United clash in an all-English UEFA Europa League final on May 21.
The two Premier League giants will attempt to put their terrible domestic seasons to one side and give their fans reason to celebrate in Bilbao on Wednesday.
Not only would victory in the final secure a trophy, but it would also seal a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League — something well beyond the reach of both clubs in terms of their league position. That makes this a game of huge importance.
It also means this could be a tricky match to referee. So, who is the man chosen to oversee the action? And who is on VAR duties? The Jugo Mobile looks at the team appointed by UEFA.
Who is the Europa League final referee?
Felix Zwayer has been chosen as the referee for the 2025 UEFA Europa League final.
The German official, who turned 44 years old two days before the game, took charge of four games at last year’s Euro 2024 tournament and officiated the 2023 UEFA Nations League final.
Zwayer’s two German assistant referees are Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz. The fourth official is Italian Maurizio Mariani.
The VAR for the final, Bastian Dankert, and his assistant, Benjamin Brand, are also German. The reserve VAR is Daniele Bindoni of Italy, and the VAR Support official is Carlos del Cerro Grande of Spain.
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Zwayer began refereeing in the lower categories of the German Football League (DFB) in 2004, with a promotion to 2. Bundesliga coming in 2007 and elevation to the Bundesliga two years later.
He has had an illustrious career that might have been cut off at source. In 2005, Zwayer was given a six-month ban for taking a €300 bribe from fellow official Robert Hoyzer.
Hoyzer was given life ban from football for orchestrating a match-fixing scandal. Zwayer’s ban was kept secret by the DFB but was revealed in a report by German newspaper Die Zeit in 2014. It was later revealed that the relatively short suspension was in part because Zwayer was one of the officials to notify the authorities of Hoyzer’s scheme.
Zwayer took charge of England’s semifinal win over the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and Arsenal’s Champions League semifinal second-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this year.
What happened with Jude Bellingham and Felix Zwayer?
Jude Bellingham was once punished by the German football authorities for comments made about Zwayer while he was still playing for Borussia Dortmund.
The England star referenced Zwayer’s ban when Dortmund were beaten by rivals Bayern Munich in December 2021.
“You give a referee that has match fixed before the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?” Bellingham said in an interview with Viaplay.
Bellingham was fined €40,000 by the DFB for the remarks and Zwayer took a break from refereeing after the controversy, returning to action in a 2. Bundesliga game between Hannover and Darmstadt in February 2022.
