PSG vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League Tie Under Scanner as Referee Banned for Match-Fixing Set to Oversee Semi-final

Fireworks are expected when Arsenal travel to Paris to take on Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final on Wednesday (May 7). 

PSG hold a narrow 1-0 lead over the Gunners after winning the first leg at the Emirates Stadium but the tie is very much alive going into the second leg. 

However, there has been one aspect of the game that has become controversial among fans on social media - the choice of referee. 

The game will be overseen by German referee Felix Zwayer - an official who has a chequered past when it comes to the sport. 

PSG vs Arsenal Referee Was Banned for Fixing

Zwayer has previously been suspended for match-fixing - he admitted to the offence in 2005 as he admitted to taking a bribe to help another German referee in Robert Hoyzer fix a second-tier match in Germany between Rot-Weiss Essen and Cologne.

He was handed a six-month suspension but served it out and went on to become a referee in the Bundesliga four years later in 2009. 

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However, the memory of what he did lives on, as evidenced by him being the subject of an outburst from English superstar Jude Bellingham in 2021. 

Bellingham was playing for Borussia Dortmund at the time and criticised a controversial penalty handed out to rivals Bayern Munich during a ‘Der Klassiker’ game. 

"For me it wasn’t a penalty. You can look at a lot of the other decisions in the game. You give a referee that has, you know, match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany – what do you expect," Bellingham had said. 

Zwayer was also criticised for poorly officiating the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and Netherlands. 

Fans Left Stunned

Even Arsenal fans were surprised at the decision to hand the tie to a referee with a questionable past. 

Whether Zwayer can officiate the match without any controversies erupting after the full-time whistle remains to be seen.