UEFA has announced the officiating team for the upcoming UEFA Europa League final, which will see Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21. This clash is not only for the title but also comes with the high stakes of earning a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. For Spurs, it represents a chance to reclaim European glory after decades, with their last triumph dating back to the UEFA Cup era in 1984. Meanwhile, Manchester United aim to secure their second Europa League trophy, having previously lifted the title in 2017 under José Mourinho’s leadership.
The match will be overseen by German referee Felix Zwayer, a familiar face in European football. His assistants will be Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz, also from Germany, while Italian official Maurizio Mariani will serve as the fourth official. Zwayer’s history with both clubs offers contrasting narratives—Manchester United have remained unbeaten in the four matches he has refereed, notching up two wins and two draws. Tottenham’s record under his watch includes a loss and a draw from two appearances.
Despite being a top-level referee under UEFA’s rankings, Zwayer’s career has seen its share of controversy. In 2005, he was suspended for six months after being implicated in a match-fixing scandal where he accepted a €300 bribe. This episode was thrust back into the spotlight in 2021 when Jude Bellingham criticized Zwayer after a controversial decision in a Bundesliga match between Dortmund and Bayern Munich. The remarks earned Bellingham a €40,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct, yet UEFA has continued to show confidence in Zwayer’s capabilities.
His credibility among Europe’s elite officials was further demonstrated when he was assigned to officiate England’s semi-final against the Netherlands at Euro 2024, a game that again featured Bellingham. More recently, he took charge of Arsenal’s tense 2-1 loss to PSG in the Champions League semi-final second leg, which was filled with drama and contentious calls. As the countdown to the Europa League final continues, the spotlight will be on Zwayer to ensure fair play when two Premier League giants battle for continental supremacy.
