The draw for the Champions League was not really to everyone’s taste. The conspiracy theory is spreading all over Europe and the spark has spread across the Channel, in England. In essence, the opponents argue that UEFA has piloted the draw in Nyon by discarding the strongest four – and of those three super favorites at the start of the tournament, namely Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich – and of the other four – Benfica, Inter, Milan and Napoli – each with a 25% chance of reaching the final in Istanbul on June 10.
“This draw has been manipulated, it is not possible to find Real and City in the same half of the draw”, we read in the countless furious comments from fans of Chelsea and Citizens on Twitter, who will have to go through a very complicated road to reach a hypothetical final. For the Blues it is also the third game in a row against Real Madrid: in 2021 they won in the semifinals, while they were eliminated in the quarterfinals last season.
“Real Madrid vs Chelsea three years in a row, it’s strange,” we read. Or again: “The most piloted draw in history” and “I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life”. Finally: «They paved the way for Napoli to reach the final». Of course, none of the outraged users have evidence of such a thing. And it must also be said that they underestimated the strength of a side like Benfica, who managed to get into the group ahead of PSG and Juventus.
In England they apparently dreamed of a final between Manchester City and Real Madrid or the Citizens against Chelsea again, the remake of the 2021 final won by the Blues. Not only. Because in England they also suffer from the fact that Italy has a 75% chance of reaching the final with three of the four teams in the same part of the draw. And certainly one between Stefano Pioli’s Milan and Luciano Spalletti’s Naples will be in the semi-finals: “Really outrageous what happened in Nyon,” writes another user complete with pictures of the Champions League draw, which most have forgotten by now. know.
As mentioned, the spark of conspiracy theory flared up in Englandwhich Italian football is still suffering from and not just for the Wembley ko in July 2021 in the last act of the European Championships, and has even reached Spain. Brand, a sports daily, says that “Inter-Benfica and Milan-Naples are an opportunity to make history on the “weak side” of the draw”. The protests clearly testify to a fundamental mistrust of UEFA and its president Alexander Ceferin, president of the highest continental body re-elected just a month ago, even if no one explains why Ceferin would want to favor Italy, since even here we do not enjoy the pinnacle of popularity. But in three weeks the pitch will do the talking: Benfica, Inter, Milan and Napoli will have the task of changing everyone’s mind. Who knows if it is one of the four that lifts the Champions League to the sky. Taking a good vengeance against those who shout conspiracy.
Source: Corriere
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