A referee previously accused of match-fixing has been put in charge of Celtic’s hotly anticipated Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow evening.
The Bhoys head to Croatia eager to pick up three points that would see all but them through to the last-16 play-offs of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have been playing well in Europe this campaign, marking an encouraging change from recent years gone by when supporters were accustomed to continual disappointment on the continent.
Celtic have a real opportunity to progress this year against a struggling Zagreb team, and Felix Zwayer will referee the match.
Zwayer, 43, is a controversial figure. He recently received a six-month refereeing ban from the DFB (German football’s governing body) for accepting a 300-euro bribe for a match between Wuppertaler SV and Werder Bremen B when he was 19. The story only came to light last year. [The Scottish Sun].
Despite his contentious past, Zwayer remains a top official, having refereed England’s 1-0 semi-final win over the Netherlands at Euro 2024.
He has taken charge of Celtic twice in the past. Zwayer refereed a 2-1 home loss for the Bhoys to Ajax in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League before taking charge of the Hoops’ exciting 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid last season.
Zwayer will be supported by his assistants Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz on Tuesday, with Florian Badstubner on fourth official duties. Sascha Stegemann is on VAR, assisted by Johan Pfeifer.
Kick-off is at 5.45pm as the Celts look to secure their first away Champions League victory in over seven years.
