Southgate on referee and Luke Shaw injury concerns ahead of Netherlands clash

Gareth Southgate has said he is “not concerned about who the referee is” after it was confirmed the official for tomorrow’s night semi-final clash served a six-month ban for match-fixing.

German referee Felix Zwayer also has a history with England star Jude Bellingham – with the midfielder criticising him after his then Borussia Dortmund team lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in December 2021.

Southgate has given a news conference alongside England captain Harry Kane as they prepare to face the Netherlands in Dortmund tomorrow night.

Asked about the choice of referee, the England boss said: “I think everybody knows how I deal with referees. We have complete respect for every referee.

“I think there’s a right way to conduct yourself towards officials. I think it’s very important for the image of the game.

“So, no, I’m not concerned about who the referee is.”

One of the talking points of England’s tournament so far has been the team’s lack of balance as injury problems facing Luke Shaw mean the side have not had a natural left back.

Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier, who is right-footed, has been occupying the position – but Shaw came on as a late substitute during England’s quarter final win over Switzerland on Saturday.

Asked if Shaw could start against the Netherlands tomorrow, Southgate said: “Luke has been injured for four months, it wasn’t a possibility for him to play until the last match.

“He made a good contribution to the game. So that’s the decision we have to make, whether he’s ready to start, whether that’s the best way to use him.

“But, yeah, we’re very happy to have him back. He obviously gives us balance, a different balance with the team.”

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Southgate’s men, who had been criticised for some lacklustre performances on their route to the quarter-finals, go into the tie against the Netherlands after a much-improved showing against a strong Switzerland side on Saturday.

The Swiss went 1-0 up in the 75th minute before a classy strike from Bukayo Saka put England level five minutes later.

The game went into extra time before England scored all five of their penalties to give themselves a chance of reaching the final of the tournament for the second time in a row.

However, they will have to overcome an impressive Dutch side who showed resilience to come from behind and beat Turkey 2-1 in their quarter-final clash in Berlin over the weekend.

Spain and France are playing each other in the other semi-final on Tuesday.

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