Who is Felix Zwayer, the referee of Benfica – Barcelona of Champions League

Berlin of cradle and real estate agent, the German Félix Zwayer (1981) had a remembered encounter with Jude Bellingham when the Madrid star played at Dortmund in 2021. “Of a referee who rigged games, what do you expect?” Said the talented English midfielder after a match against Bayern in the Bundesliga. Declarations that ended in penalty of 40,000 euros for Stourbridge’s footballer.

A few words that revived the past of this Germanic trencilla, in charge of arbitrating this Wednesday, March 5, the round of 16 of the Champions League between Benfica and Barcelonaand that suffered A half -year suspension in 2005 for a bribes case By accepting a payment of 300 euros by one of its line judges, Robert Hoyzer, in a party in the second German category. History that was not known until years later, when a Teuton newspaper revealed.

The collegiate, who will give justify at the Da Luz stadium, debuted as a referee in the Bundesliga in 2009 and in international competition in the 2012/13 campaign, in the European League. International since that same year, the Europa Ligsb-Lask Linz (1-0) and in the Champions League the Red Inter-Strella games (4-0), Milan-Brujas (3-1), Dinamo Zagreb-Celect (0-0), Liverpool-Lille (2-1) and Atalanta-Brujas (1-3), in the 24/25 season.

The matches that Félix Zwayer has arbitrated Barcelona

The German, 43, has already crossed with the Catalans on the other two times in the maximum continental competition, with a balance of a victory and a draw; In the first one, the Culé team surpassed Tottenham (2-4) in the group stage of the 2018-19 season, while in the second he tied with the Naples in Diego Armando Maradona (1-1) in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2023-24 course.

Benfica was directed last campaign in the quarterfinals of the Europa League, in the Marseille fief, before which he fell eliminated after the penalty shootout after finishing the game with French victory 1-0.

The Collegiate – who whistled the final of the League of Nations that Spain won against Croatia in the soy of penalties – has directed a total of 241 games in the highest German categoryLa Bundesliga, and 35 Champions League games, in addition to other competitions. He has shown 1143 yellow cards between these two competitions, has taught 17 red cards.