The Champions League quarter-final draw has been called into question after the ties were predicted two hours in advance on an internet forum.
A post on the Liverpool Echo’s forum correctly forecast the draw at 10.28am – around an hour and a half before the ties were decided.
The user in question claimed that they had heard a rumour that Liverpool would meet Arsenal and also correctly predicted Roma would meet Manchester United, Chelsea would play Fenerbahce and Barcelona would be paired with Schalke.
However, a UEFA spokesman has vehemently denied that any rigging took place.
“There is no way that the draw was rigged,” William Gaillard insisted. “This draw was made in front of millions of TV viewers and so many officials – I just don’t see how it could be possible.
“The balls were not marked at all and they were put in the bowls and shuffled around before they were drawn. I was there and it was all done properly and I know the people who did that draw are 150 per cent honest.
“I cannot understand how this happened – he must have had supernatural powers.”
The simple solution to the mystery is that the mystery man guessed the pairings – no mean feat given that the odds of doing so were 119/1.
