Ex-FIFA ref blasts Italy vs Albania ref at Euro 2024 over match fixing scandal

Former referee Manuel Grafe has blasted the decision to choose a referee implicated in a match-fixing scandal to officiate at Euro 2024.

Grafe, 50, took to social media late at night to express his outrage when he saw that Bundesliga official Felix Zwayer was refereeing Italy’s 2-1 win over Albania on Saturday. Zwayer, 43, received a six-month suspension in 2005 as part of a match-fixing case involving referee Robert Hoyzer, who was accused of taking bribes to rig games.

Despite being one of four officials to report the incident, Zwayer and his colleagues were still penalised for their involvement, which was deemed as aiding Hoyzer and accepting a bribe of €300 (£250), rather than directly fixing matches. Even though the incident occurred nearly two decades ago, Zwayer has been unable to shake off the criticism, especially after Jude Bellingham publicly criticised him following Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich in 2021, reports the Mirror.

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Despite there being no major refereeing controversies during the reigning European champions’ victory over Albania, the always contentious Grafe tweeted his unhappiness with the decision to select Zwayer for the tournament.

“This match will go down as a great shame in the glorious history of German referees over the last decades,” Grafe penned. “A referee who was involved in match fixing and who remained silent about it for six months until the final moment, thereby enabling further manipulation [being involved].

“[He was] Sentenced by own association, was nominated by DFB/UEFA (zero tolerance match fixing) for the Euros and appointed for this game. Fits this strange time where connection is much more important than values and performances (he’s average at best). Other referees deserved it more.”

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The outspoken Grafe, with his 36,000 Twitter followers, is notorious for his sharp and contentious posts. His tirades have even provoked current refs to publicly criticise him due to their intensity.

In a viral moment from May 2023, Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller stopped a post-match interview to eavesdrop on German ref Deniz Aytekin furiously ranting about another one of Grafe’s tweets. Muller was chatting to the press after Bayern’s defeat to RB Leipzig.

He overheard the irate Aytekin blasting: “In the stadium, no one talks about the ref. No one. And then Manuel Grafe sits there in Berlin with his 180 kilos and is chatting such s***!”

In a candid chat with UEFA, Felix Zwayer expressed his excitement and determination after being chosen to referee the Nations League Final between Croatia and Spain in June 2023. He reflected on his career: “You never know what’s going to happen. It’s important to go from match to match. I’ve had good times and bad times as a referee, but I’ve always managed to bounce back after disappointments.”

Zwayer also shared his aspirations for the future, saying: “When you get to high levels as a referee, you dream of taking part in major tournaments, and there’s a big event just around the corner EURO 2024 in my country next summer. I will continue to do my best and give my all, and I hope that my performances might make me one of the candidates for selection.”

He further added: “The appointment for the Nations League final is definitely an important step for me because it shows that no doors are closed to me for the future..”