Champions League Ref Banned for Months Handed Man City vs Napoli

The Champions League referee appointed for the fixture between Manchester City and Napoli once served a ban for his alleged involvement in a match fixing scandal.

City get their Champions League campaign underway on Thursday night when they welcome club legend Kevin De Bruyne back to the Etihad Stadium.

Former Manchester United pair Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund could also start for the Serie A champions.

UEFA have confirmed that a team of German officials will take charge of the game, with Felix Zwayer refereeing City for the first time in his career.

Zwayer is a FIFA and UEFA elite category referee and was the man in the middle for Spurs' Europa League final win over United.

However, the 44-year-old is perhaps best known for his alleged role in the match fixing plot which rocked Germany in 2005.

Felix Zwayer received a six-month ban from refereeing. Image: Getty

Robert Hoyzer, who primilarly refereed in the second tier of Germany, was found to have taken bribes to fix games and placed bets on matches he was involved in.

Zwayer was investigated for allegedly taking a £250 bribe from Hoyzer, with he and three other respected referees speaking to the the DFB (German Football Association) and raising suspicions about Hoyzer.

It was reported that Hoyzer had become involved with a group of three brothers who were involved in a Croatian gambling syndicate which was associated to an organised crime group.

After he stepped down from refereeing and lengthy investigations followed, he was given a lifetime ban from refereeing and also sentenced to two years and five months in prison.

Having been knocked out of the DFB Cup in a game where Hoyzer awarded two penalties against them and striker Emile Mpenza was sent off, Hamburger SV were compensated €500,000 and told they could have a Germany international game at their stadium to recoup further funds.

Zwayer, meanwhile, was handed a six-month ban which was not initially made public knowledge until Die Zeit published a DFB file years later. He always denied wrongdoing and has continued to referee at the highest level.

Felix Zwayer is still recognised as a leading FIFA official. Image: Getty

He oversaw England's Euro 2024 semi-final win over the Netherlands, as well as Arsenal's Champions League semi-final loss to Paris St-Germain last season and was involved at in the FIFA Club World Cup.

But in December 2021 after a game where he had sent off Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose and failed to award a penalty against Bayern Munich, Jude Bellingham controversially referenced Zwayer's past.

In a post-match interview, Bellingham said, "You give a referee that has match fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?" - his comments resulting in a £34,000 fine.