Source: REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
[Saba Sports News] In the European Championship semi-finals, England defeated the Netherlands 2-1. However, the penalty kick won by England also caused controversy. After the game, many fans posted videos of Bukayo Saka handballing the ball first. In the 18th minute of the game, Saka’s shot in the penalty area was blocked. Harry Kane’s follow-up shot was kicked down by Denzel Dumfries. The referee awarded a penalty kick after watching VAR. Initially, everyone focused on the contact between Kane and Dumfries, but now many fans have pointed out that Saka had handballed before Kane’s follow-up shot. In fact, controversy arose when UEFA announced the referee for this game. Because Felix Zwayer had actually participated in match-fixing, many people believed that he should not be assigned to referee such an important game. In 2005, a match-fixing scandal broke out in German football. At that time, Zwayer was just a 23-year-old linesman. He accepted a bribe of 300 euros before a reserve team game. In the end, Zwayer was fined and suspended for 6 months. In 2009, Zwayer became a referee in the German top flight and has had a smooth journey since then. He officiated in 2 group matches in this European Cup, in addition to the knockout matches between the Netherlands 3-0 Romania and the Netherlands 1-2 England.