Was today's Champion's League draw a set-up?
March 14, 2008 12:34 PM   Subscribe

Did UEFA fix today's Champions' League quarter-final draw?

It was made at noon UK time, but a full 90 minutes beforehand a Liverpool fan claimed on a football message board that he not only knew the outcome of the supposedly random draw but also that his local bookmakers were refusing to take bets on it. A little bit of press coverage so far, mainly cautious. Tinfoil hat time for football fans or just a bit of a coincidence?
posted by uk_giffo (34 comments total)
 
Pfft -- that's not "football." It's "soccer." ; )
posted by ericb at 12:37 PM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


Wouldn't be the first time. But rigged in favor of whom? Only Chelsea or Barça got a good draw, the other six got a terrible to very bad draw. So who bought it, Abramovic? And how exactly?

I don't know, it's very shaky
posted by matteo at 12:38 PM on March 14, 2008


No-one in that forum thread quotes the leaked draw until after the real draw was made, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if they just edited it in after the draw had been made so that it looked identical.
posted by ZippityBuddha at 12:44 PM on March 14, 2008


Well, it's possible, Zippity--but that type of forum software usually shows a timestamp of edits.
posted by sonic meat machine at 12:49 PM on March 14, 2008


Saw this earlier on and couldn't believe it.

Interesting to note that Manchester United get Roma who they beat 7-1 in last years competition, and Liverpool and Arsenal were drawn together, ensuring that the finalists from the past two seasons are less likely to reach this years final. Barcelona and Chelsea were given the easiest draws but they can beat anyone on their day regardless.
posted by fire&wings at 12:59 PM on March 14, 2008


You can probably find someone on some forum somewhere claiming to know that any of the possible combinations would happen ahead of time. Doesn't make this one true, though.
posted by AwkwardPause at 1:04 PM on March 14, 2008


Sorry, I think this stinks to high heaven. With teams like Barnsley beating Liverpool & Chelsea... actually, make that "spanking, pantsing & throwing into the girls room"... I think it's really convenient that all the above teams got the draws they did in the Euro championship. Just a question of ad & betting revenue & potential audiences for each match.

Liverpool v Arsenal? C'mon now...
posted by Grrlscout at 1:09 PM on March 14, 2008


This is stupid newsfilter. MeFi wants to know what color tie Obama's wearing today!
posted by Eideteker at 1:29 PM on March 14, 2008


I've long suspected that all professional sports are worked. Not necessarily 100% predetermined, but less undetermined than one would think, in order to create desirable matchups, interesting storylines such as this year's Super Bowl, etc. I would not be surprised if it were true.
posted by DecemberBoy at 1:33 PM on March 14, 2008


Even though I'm the world's biggest footie fan I've flagged this for being a non item.
(The database is down on that forum link too so it doesn't help to enforce your submission)
posted by Webbster at 1:34 PM on March 14, 2008


no
posted by therubettes at 2:09 PM on March 14, 2008


DecemberBoy: I don't think all sports are rigged, but the possibility that at least some of them are isn't something I'd be that shocked by. The way the Tim Donaghy thing just sort of disappeared.

As the amount of money involved in betting on sports (or hell, even fantasy sports) increases, the likely-hood that someone tries to fix it does as well.
posted by drezdn at 2:15 PM on March 14, 2008


Sailing certainly is, at least for some sense of the word.
posted by true at 2:48 PM on March 14, 2008 [7 favorites]


I hate that your comment took a second to sink in, true. But when it did, I had to smile.
posted by quin at 3:09 PM on March 14, 2008


Sports are fixed? Like sports you bet on like a sporting gentleman? Pshaw and fiddlesticks, old man.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:23 PM on March 14, 2008


This FPP is utter nonsense. Discuss this lucky guess in the boozer with the rest of the lads and leave it at that.

(Bet this FPP sticks due to mods "soccer blindness")
posted by brautigan at 3:25 PM on March 14, 2008


Tinfoil hat time for football fans or just a bit of a coincidence?

Or possibly a bit of confirmation bias. Its a wonder that this kind of thing doesn't happen more often.
posted by googly at 3:25 PM on March 14, 2008


DecemberBoy: "I've long suspected that all professional sports are worked. Not necessarily 100% predetermined, but less undetermined than one would think, in order to create desirable matchups, interesting storylines such as this year's Super Bowl, etc. I would not be surprised if it were true."

They have a name for that suspicion. They call it paranoia.
posted by Plutor at 4:18 PM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


One of my best buddies in law school had a university roomate who took a trip to Budapest. while there, he decided to watch a boxing match. A huge local guy was fighting some guy from the sticks.

the local guy pummled the guy from the sticks until that last round. Then the boxer from the sticks suddenly knocked out the local favorite.

My buddies' friend was like, "that was weird."

The next minute out comes somebody strange looking into the ring. After squinting at the guy for a moment he realized it was DON KING!

King tried to speak a few words in bad German (guess he didn't know Magyar) and retired to the dressing room.
posted by Ironmouth at 4:35 PM on March 14, 2008


Looks like it hit the news.

UEFA has their own explanation:

A post left on a newspaper's internet forum at 10.28am this morning - 90 minutes before the draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland - correctly predicted the entire quarter-final draw. . .

. . . But a UEFA spokesman said: 'It is just a lucky guess. I have been in touch with people internally and they are quite surprised. They find it a little ridiculous actually.

'The results of the draw and the practice draw were completely different, and I think it was just pure luck that this guy could get them all right.

'That's the only explanation we can give.'

posted by Ironmouth at 4:40 PM on March 14, 2008


What a waste of pixels. I'm certain you could find every possible permutation of the draw posted in advance on some message board or other. Just because the Mirror (I mean, the fucking Mirror) prints this shite doesn't mean MeFi should. Delete.
posted by Jakey at 4:52 PM on March 14, 2008


My internal voice has a scouse accent when reading that thread.
posted by carter at 4:53 PM on March 14, 2008


My internal voice has a scouse accent when reading that thread.
carter

Why? Its a Liverpool FC forum the accent should be Norwegian/Cornish/Irish.
posted by djstig at 5:12 PM on March 14, 2008


Christ, this looks thin. Wikipedia, a match-up site, and a speculative from the press?
posted by klangklangston at 5:22 PM on March 14, 2008


he not only knew the outcome of the supposedly random draw but also that his local bookmakers were refusing to take bets on it

So english bookmakers normally take bets on what the matchups will be in the CL draw? I had no idea. The fact that this is a gambling event certainly adds some intrigue here. Otherwise, I don't see anything special about the matchups drawn today in the CL. I really don't think traveling to Turkey is very attractive for Chelsea and their fans regardless of the opponent nor do I think two more Arsenal v Liverpool games will be of much interest to anyone. ManU v Roma is a great matchup, but its not necessarily good for FIFA to have the two best remaining teams playing each other in the quarterfinals.
posted by Cletis at 5:42 PM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


If you like this story, you and I need to have a chat about a grassy knoll.
posted by athenian at 6:13 PM on March 14, 2008


They have a name for that suspicion. They call it paranoia.

Bullshit. There really is a red under my bed and a little yellow man in my head. The doctor said I'm not goin' crazy, I'm just a tad bit sad.

PARANOIA THE DESTROYYYYAAAAH
posted by DecemberBoy at 6:59 PM on March 14, 2008


but its not necessarily good for FIFA to have the two best remaining teams playing each other in the quarterfinals.

(?)Arsenal is playing Liverpool.
posted by jalexei at 7:15 PM on March 14, 2008


We've got an entire post (and accompanying thread) about the timestamp on another post (and accompanying thread) about the possibility of a fixed sports match?

Are we that bored?
posted by FormlessOne at 10:50 PM on March 14, 2008


What, football is fixed? Next you'll tell me that wrestling is too!
posted by triv at 3:07 AM on March 15, 2008


Is this new or am I just noticing it? Rasheed Wallace calls the NBA fake, Tony Stewart calls NASCAR fake, now fans are calling UEFA fixed?

Is this a paranoid time? Or is it government mind control?
posted by Cyclopsis Raptor at 6:17 PM on March 15, 2008


Why were bookies refusing to take bets? A lot of you are only addressing half of the post.

Yes, yes, you are all very clever. A million monkeys on a million typewriters a correct guess is bound to happen. Welcome to high school introductory probability.

What about that other recently soccer controversy? Guy obscures number on ball during live draw. Has guilty, shifty eyes.

/Not a soccer fan. Goes off to find link...
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:51 PM on March 15, 2008


/Not a soccer fan. Goes off to find link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzsSZ2OC_94

There seems to be a few explanations since a soccer fan emailed me about this a while back. Trick of the light.

Sammy Nelson, a dodgy looking fuck if ever I've seen one, decides he needs to adjust the ball in his hand before showing it to the camera. Yet the ball is still 50% obscured when he holds it up. Dodgy? Or a moran? You decide.

And how SHIFTY does he look?!

Me, the jury, find the defendant GUILTY of having a shifty, guilty look on his face the whole time.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:14 PM on March 15, 2008


This is the biggest shocker since Nick Perry pulled the 666 ball.
posted by inigo2 at 10:12 AM on March 21, 2008


« Older A-one and a-two and a-chicka booma chick!   |   Dance and drink and screw, because there's nothing... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments