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[Football] 1998 World Cup finals draw fixed





Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
"France-Brazil in the final, it was the dream of everyone," Platini told radio station France Bleu Sport in an interview to be broadcast in full on Sunday.

The 62-year-old was laughing as he added: "There was a little trickery. We did not spend six years organising the World Cup to not do some little shenanigans. Do you think other World Cup hosts did not?"

Jesus :(
 






ManOfSussex

We wunt be druv
Apr 11, 2016
14,730
Rape of Hastings, Sussex
Been done before as the article says and been done since - 2002 was fixed as well - South Korea and Japan couldn't have met each other until the final or 3rd place game and both would have played all their knock out games at home, until the final in Japan. Brazil met Turkey in the semi finals having been in the same group as a result.
 






nickbrighton

Well-known member
Feb 19, 2016
1,906
can not say this surprises me even a little bit. The whole of footballs above club structure world wide seems either corrupt or incompetent or both.
 


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
Is this why we meet Germany practically every time we make the knockout stages?
 








Washie

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2011
5,419
Eastbourne
Been done before as the article says and been done since - 2002 was fixed as well - South Korea and Japan couldn't have met each other until the final or 3rd place game and both would have played all their knock out games at home, until the final in Japan. Brazil met Turkey in the semi finals having been in the same group as a result.

And in 1996 England were even placed in the perfect place in order to play every match at Wembley.
 




ManOfSussex

We wunt be druv
Apr 11, 2016
14,730
Rape of Hastings, Sussex
And in 1996 England were even placed in the perfect place in order to play every match at Wembley.

It gets forgotten that the semi final against Portugal was actually scheduled to be played at Goodison Park, but FIFA kindly switched it to Wembley for the extra ticket revenue there would be. It's why my Dad was able to get one and go to it. :D
 


blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
So there are 2 separate issues here. There's arrangements made for logistical or tv reasons which are agreed, published and known about, we see this sort of thing in league football, ie local fixtures on boxing day. Then there's what seems to be being suggested, which is illicit manipulation of the draw to favour a team or induce a desired fixture. But how is this possible? Even then the draws weren't done in secret, they were balls being picked out of a glass box.

There could be some fantastic corruption story here, and I wouldn't trust Platini as far as I could throw him, (which is sickening to say after his astonishing playing career), but more likely he's trying to gain a headline for whatever reason
 








Gritt23

New member
Jul 7, 2003
14,902
Meopham, Kent.
Like all FIFA stories over the last 10 years or more ..... because it's FIFA, a story that should be absolutely shocking, appalling, would have you up in arms in most sports, just has me sighing and rolling my eyes.

I'm really not sure what could shock me about FIFA these days, short of bribing players to crock guys (or murder maybe) ahead of the tournament because they are a threat to the countries they want to see winning it. Anything short of that, and honestly, I think i would just sigh, and roll my eyes.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,324
Uffern

Plus ça change ...

" 'the English have failed completely in their organisation of this great competition. They have taken no trouble whatsoever to offer good service … and have substituted instead concern for something else: for charging excessively for all the poor and inefficient services they manage to offer. The greed and lack of organisation of the English is evident everywhere.'

Trains, they complained, were always late. Matches sometimes started late. There were not enough tickets for foreign journalists. The telephones in the press centres did not work properly. "
 






Wozza

Shite Supporter
Jul 6, 2003
23,585
Online
This is not news. I am sure it was openly admitted at the time that France in Group C meant they would not meet Brazil until Final, and not an eyelid was batted.

Because few expected France to get that far.
 



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