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West Ham’s Europa League clash with Lyon on Thursday was plagued by questionable officiating, with the Hammers down to 10 men in the first half.
German referee Felix Zwayer attracted negative attention when he sent off Aaron Cresswell before the break for pulling Moussa Dembele’s arm. His decision left the West Ham bench and fans furious, as manager David Moyes also received a booking for his protests.
The Irons were able to achieve a crucial 1–1 draw at the London Stadium before the second leg, but the referee’s officiating remained a major talking point after the match. And the incident was far from the only referee controversy of his career.
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Zwayer received a six-month ban from the German Football Federation in 2005 for a match-fixing scandal. He was one of several referees to receive punishment for his role in a 2. Bundesliga clash.
He helped another referee, Robert Hoyzer, fix a Wuppertaler SV match for an estimated £250. His suspension was kept secret for several years until it was revealed by the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Zwayer later attracted attention for his performance during Borussia Dortmund’s loss to Bayern Munich last December. England midfielder Jude Bellingham criticized his decision-making and seemed to link poor refereeing to Zwayer’s record of match-fixing.
What did you think of the refereeing of the West Ham vs Lyon match? Let us know in the comments section.
German referee controversially sent off Aaron Cresswell for a soft tackle against Lyon
An outraged Bellingham said: “You give him a referee, who has a fixed match before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?”
Moyes was much more diplomatic in his choice of words after West Ham’s Europa League draw. The Scot had been booked for angrily confronting Zwayer at half-time, with the German continually stopping play due to fouls and injuries, much to the annoyance of the home crowd.
Moyes said after the game: “The only thing I want to say about that is I think the tackle on Jarrod Bowen that led to that was a foul.”
He added: “I just thought the game never got a chance to really flow from part one. It was pretty divided.”
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