Mikel Arteta breaks silence on PSG vs Arsenal referee decision

boss Mikel Arteta has broken his silence on the appointment of controversial UEFA referee Felix Zwayer ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final second leg with Paris Saint-Germain.

The 43-year-old has been involved in 684 matches across his career.

One year after starting his officiating career, Zwayer was caught up in a match fixing scandal with referee Robert Hoyzer. Zwayer was handed a six-month ban after an investigation by the DFB found him to have accepted a €300 payment from Hoyzer, though Zwayer has consistently denied any wrongdoing and was one of the officials who brought the wrongdoing to light.

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He has since revived his career to become one of the Bundesliga's top referees and has officiated in major competitions. Last summer, he was the man in the middle of England's win over the Netherlands in the European Championships.

Ahead of Wednesday night's game in Parc des Princes, He replied: "We always get a report and an understanding of how he likes to manage the game to try to understand him and make sure the players are very much aware of that."

Zwayer has officiated three Arsenal games in the past. In 2018, he was referee for the 2-2 draw against CSKA Moscow in the Europa League quarter-final before officiating the 1-0 win over Greece in February 2020.

His last fixture with the Gunners came in the Champions League last season against PSV Eindhoven. For PSG, he took charge of their 7-2 win over Maccabi Haifa last season and their draw with Napoli in 2018.