Bellingham hits out at referee in astonishing post-match interview
Jude Bellingham has heavily criticised referee Felix Zwayer after the award of a controversial penalty during Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat against Bayern Munich.
The win saw Bundesliga champions Bayern move four points clear at the top of the table in Germany, in a game that had plenty of incident.
Dortmund had a credible penalty appeal turned down, while Mats Hummels was penalised for a harsh handball that let Robert Lewandowski score the winner from the spot.
Speaking after the match, Bellingham said the following as per a video posted by Viaplay.
“It wasn’t a penalty, [Mats Hummels] wasn’t looking at the ball, he’s fighting to get it. It hits him,” Bellingham claimed. “You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game; you give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?”
Zwayer was banned from football for half a year for allegedly accepting a bribe in 2005 – confirmation of the ban did not arrive until a few years later, according to The Independent. An investigation by the German FA saw Zwayer punished along with several other officials.
He has since established himself as one of the top referees in Germany and is one of four to have been awarded UEFA Elite status.
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In a now-deleted tweet, Dortmund striker Erling Haaland quote-tweeted the announcement of Zwayer’s appointment with a thumb-down emoji.
“I think it was a scandal when it comes to the referee,” Haaland said after the game.
“Clear penalty [on Reus in the first half]. I asked [the referee], ‘Why didn’t you just go and look?’- he said, ‘there’s no need’, like an arrogant… No, I have to calm down a little bit now.
“He was arrogant and I will not say more.”