England and the Netherlands have perhaps shown more resistance than top form en route to a semifinal collision at Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate has guided the Three Lions to a third semifinal in his four tournaments at the helm, although they have not won inside 90 minutes since their opening 1-0 triumph over Serbia and needed penalties to overcome Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
Ronald Koeman's Oranje have show more signs of kicking into gear after beating Romania 3-0 in the Round of 16 and coming from behind to edge past Turkey 2-1 last time out.
Given the talent on both sides and each nation's storied football history, it is perhaps surprising to see so much attention on the referee beforehand.
However, in many ways, German official Felix Zwayer has a notably chequered past.
MORE: Euro 2024 schedule and results, updated LIVE | Who will win Euro 2024? Latest odds and predictions
Who is referee for Netherlands vs. England?
Felix Zwayer leads an all-German team of seven officials for the game in Dortmund.
Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmuller are his assistants on the night. Bastian Dankert is on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty, assisted by Christian Dingert and Marco Fritz
Daniel Siebert is the fourth official.
Zwayer, 43, began refereeing in the lower categories of the German Football League (DFB) in 2004, with a promotion to 2. Bundesliga coming in 2007 and elevation to the Bundesliga two years later.
This prolonged spell at the top of the domestic game included Eintract Frankfurt's 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the 2018 DFB-Pokal final
He has refereed 55 games across the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League and took charge of the UEFA Nations League final between Croatia and Spain in 2023.
It amounts to an illustrious career that might have been cut off at source. In 2005, Zwayer was given a six-month ban for taking a €300 bribe from fellow official Robert Hoyzer.
Hoyzer was given life ban from football for orchestrating a match-fixing scandal. Zwayer's ban was kept secret by the DFB but was revealed in a report by German newspaper Die Zeit in 2014.
What happened with Jude Bellingham and Felix Zwayer?
When he was playing for Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham referenced Zwayer's previous indiscretion when criticising the referee for his performance when BVB lost to rivals Bayern Munich in December 2021.
"You give a referee that has match fixed before the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?" Bellingham said in an interview with Viaplay.
The England midfielder was fined €40,000 by the DFB for the remarks and Zwayer took a break from refereeing after the controversy, returning to action in a 2. Bundesliga game between Hannover and Darmstadt in February 2022.
Felix Zwayer's record refereeing Netherlands and England
Zwayer has refereed England and the Netherlands once apiece and his experience with the Dutch is from this tournament.
Felix Zwayer refereeing Netherlands
Match | Date | Competition | Stage | Result | Yellow Cards/Red Cards |
Romania vs. Netherlands | Jul 2, 2024 | European Championship | Group Stage | Romania 0 Netherlands 3 | 4/0 |
Felix Zwayer refereeing England
Match | Date | Competition | Stage | Result | Yellow Cards/Red Cards |
England vs. Slovenia | Oct 5, 2017 | World Cup Qualifier | — | England 1 Slovenia 0 | 6/0 |
Felix Zwayer's Euro 2024 record
Prior to Netherlands vs. England, Zwayer had taken charge of three games at Euro 2024, most recently for an impressive win from Koeman's side.
Match | Date | Stage | Result | Yellow Cards/Red Cards |
Italy vs. Albania | Jun 15, 2024 | Group Stage | Italy 2 Albania 1 | 4/0 |
Turkey vs. Portugal | June 22, 2024 | Group Stage | Turkey 0 Portugal 3 | 5/0 |
Romania vs. Netherlands | Jul 2, 2024 | Round of 16 | Romania 0 Netherlands 3 | 4/0 |
What time is England vs. Netherlands kickoff?
This Euro 2024 semifinal kicks off from the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, July 10 at 9 p.m. local time in Dortmund, Germany.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
Date | Kickoff time | |
USA/Canada | Wed, Jul. 10 | 3 p.m. ET |
USA/Canada | Wed, Jul. 10 | 12 p.m. PT |
UK | Wed, Jul. 10 | 8 p.m. BST |
Australia | Thu, Jul. 11 | 5 a.m. AEST |
India | Thu, Jul. 11 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
England vs. Netherlands live stream, TV channel
TV channel | Streaming | |
USA | FOX, TUDN, Univision | Fubo, Fox Sports app/website, ViX, TUDN app/website, Univision Now |
Canada | TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, TVA Sports | TVA+ |
UK | ITV 1 UK, STV Scotland | ITVX, STV Player |
Australia | — | Optus Sport |
India | Sony Ten 2, 3, 2HD, 3HD | JioTV, Sony LIV |
USA: England vs. Netherlands will be televised in the United States on FOX, while Spanish TV broadcasts are provided by Univision and TUDN. These channels are all available to stream on Fubo, who are offering a FREE seven-day trial. ViX is also an option for Spanish viewers.
Radio coverage of the match can be followed on SiriusXM FC.
UK: Wednesday's match will be shown in the UK on ITV 1 / STV Scotland and fans can stream on ITVX / STV Player.
Canada: TSN are the main English-language broadcasters for Euro 2024 while TVA provides French options.
Australia: Australia's sole broadcaster for the European Championship is Optus Sport.
India: Euro 2024 matches are available to watch on JioTV and Sony LIV. England vs. Netherlands can also be viewed on Sony Ten Network on TV.
If this match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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