In the dying minutes of the USA vs. Australia match, German referee Felix Zwayer dramatically collapsed on the field, requiring several minutes of medical attention. This incident did not sit well with TV expert Thomas Müller, a former Bayern Munich player, who engaged in a heated discussion and expressed his criticism.
Johannes B. Kerner, the moderator for MagentaTV, humorously commented after the game, «One could say he (Zwayer) was the only one the game knocked out in the second half.» Müller immediately chimed in, stating, «Well, I see it this way: falling is one thing, but getting back up is another. Always get up one more time than you fall. And from my German perspective, the getting up took a bit too long. But let’s move on.»
When Kerner pointed out, «Felix Zwayer is likely most uncomfortable with this, according to Patrick Ittrich’s commentary,» Müller interrupted, «Yes, if he were uncomfortable, he would have been back after a 10-second treatment break…»
«But if he can’t… get up?» Kerner then asked. Müller retorted, «Yes, okay. Then we have to question his fitness level – but I’m not doing that here. I think we just need to ask him what he believed was happening.»
Jürgen Klopp Praises Felix Zwayer
Alongside Müller, former coach Jürgen Klopp also found the scene somewhat unfortunate. «We discussed earlier what a referee needs to do to get more games. I would simply assume that this possibly doesn’t contribute to that, and that’s unfortunate for Felix Zwayer,» he explained, before adding praise: «A good performance, which is likely a bit overshadowed by this.»
The 45-year-old Zwayer got caught on the turf in the third minute of added time while showing US professional Chris Richards a yellow card for a foul. The Berliner fell to the ground, and assistant Christian Dietz along with Australian professional Aiden O’Neill rushed to his aid and helped with stretching. Ultimately, Zwayer was able to complete the match.