The USA’s World Cup clash against Australia had to be stopped in added time over a surprising injury.
The Americans were already cruising to a 2-0 win over the Socceroos in the second half of Friday’s Group D matchup when the game had to be halted when the referee went down.
German official Felix Zwayer, 45, suffered cramp during the six minutes of added time in Seattle with American star Florian Balogun having to help the referee stretch it out.
A FIFA medic in a blue bib rushed onto the field to tend to the referee as Zwayer’s fourth official, Mexico’s Katia Garcia, sprinted over.
Garcia appeared to hand Zwayer, who remained laying on the ground, a small bottle of liquid, which he knocked back.
One of the linesmen then made his way over with a bottle of water before taking over from Balogun and proceeding to stretch the official’s left leg.
German official Felix Zwayer suffered cramp during the USA’s win over Australia
American star Florian Balogun had to help the referee stretch out his left leg in added time
Australia’s Aiden O’Neill also rushed over to offer assistance as the unusual situation unfolded.
Zwayer was then helped to his feet with the game eventually resuming following a couple of minutes’ delay.
He received a large cheer from the predominantly American crowd inside Lumen Field after he signaled that he could continue to oversee the remainder of the game.
‘He needs to get salt in his body,’ former FIFA referee and Fox rules analyst Mark Clattenburg said on the broadcast. ‘It’s a hot day. The referees are acclimatizing to the conditions and there’s a prime example.’
He added: ‘It’s certainly happened to me in key games. It’s a bit embarrassing but I’m sure he’ll move on.’
Fans were left stunned by the incident as they took to social media to mock the embarrassing moment.
‘Haha, you’ve got to be kidding me! The ref’s gone down with cramp,’ one baffled social media user wrote.
‘They should give him a yellow card for waiting time on the ground,’ another claimed.
A FIFA official and one of the linesmen also rushed onto the pitch to provide treatment
Australia’s Aiden O’Neill offered assistance as the unusual situation unfolded
The German was eventually able to get back to his feet and resume the game
A third argued that the referee ‘should have had to leave the pitch for a minute.’
‘Even the ref was timewasting,’ another quipped, while a fifth questioned: ‘What are the odds of the referee getting injured?’
The game marked Zwayer’s World Cup debut following a wealth of experience thi past season in the Bundesliga and Champions League.
He previously took charge of the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands as well as the 2025 Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham.
The USA went on to seal a 2-0 victory over the Australians, maintaining their unbeaten record at their home World Cup.
The Stars and Stripes also booked their spot in the knockout stages with the triumph in Seattle, joining co-hosts Mexico in making it out of their group.
More to follow.
