Who is Felix Zwayer, the referee for Manchester Utd vs Sevilla?

On Thursday 13 April we head to Old Trafford for a tasty encounter in UEFA’s second club competition and we have a German in the middle with the whistle.

With the Champions League games out the way for the week, it’s time for those clubs in the Europa League to step up now that we’ve reached the business end of the season. It’s fair to say that some European heavyweights of the past remain in the competition and at Old Trafford there is a very appetising encounter being readied for us as Manchester United welcome Sevilla for the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

The Premier League outfit won this competition as recently as 2017, during an extended period away from the elite of club football (their last domestic title was in 2013 while you have to go back to 2008 since they lifted the Champions League). Their opponents, however, are well accustomed to a run in this tournament, having won it a record six times, their last triumph coming in 2020. That said, United are finding their feet again under Erik ten Haag, who should have them finishing in the top four of their domestic league and they are favourites to lift this continental crown. The Spaniards on the other hand are struggling uncharacteristically in LaLiga, sitting just five points above the relegation zone. A tough night is expected, and it will be a German in charge of proceedings.

Who is Felix Zwayer?

A real estate broker living in Berlin, this 41-year-old referee has plenty of experience behind him across the Bundesliga, European club competitions and international football. But it’s a tale of highs and lows for Zwayer, who began his refereeing journey back in 2004, but whose first big break came in 2007, when he was promoted to officiate in the 2. Bundesliga, Germany’s second tier, and was later given the nod to be an assistant referee in the top flight. He then moved up the ranks even further, becoming a full-time Bundesliga referee in the 2009-10 season.

But Zwayer’s career took a hit in 2005, when he found himself involved in a match-fixing scandal. Alongside several other high-ranking referees, Zwayer reported that 2. Bundesliga referee Robert Hoyzer was taking bribes to fix matches. However, Zwayer himself had also accepted a bribe to avoid critical scenes for Wuppertaler SV. He was banned from refereeing for six months as a result. In spite of the scandal, Zwayer continued to work his way up the ranks, and in 2018, he was selected by FIFA to be one of the video assistant referees for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

However, controversy struck again in December 2021, when Zwayer was heavily criticised for not awarding Borussia Dortmund a penalty and for sending off coach Marco Rose during a game against Bayern Munich. After the match, Dortmund player Jude Bellingham made reference to Zwayer’s past, leading to further scrutiny of the referee’s career.

Zwayer took a break from refereeing after the incident, but returned in February 2022 for a 2. Bundesliga game between Hannover 96 and SV Darmstadt and finds himself ranked as a UEFA elite category referee, hence him getting involved in a game like we have today in Manchester.

In total he’s officiated four Champions League matches this season (26 in his career) including Real Madrid’s 1-0 second leg victory over Liverpool in the round of 16. This is his first of the campaign in the Europa League, his 23rd in total in the competition.

Who is the VAR for Manchester United vs Sevilla?

Fellow German Christian Dingert will be the man with the screens, slo-mos and straight lines. His Assistant Video Assistant Referee is Benjamin Brand.

Running the sidelines will be Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmüller while Sven Jablonski will be the fourth official. A full German house.