Turkish pundit Ahmet Çakar, a former referee, has appeared on TV claiming the quarter-final Champions League draw was fixed and showed exactly how UEFA could have done it.
Çakar claimed UEFA rigged the draw to ensure the maximum possible interest in the semi-finals, and keep teams from the same country apart until the latter stages.
Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid were kept apart in the draw, both being paired with Paris Saint-Germain and Galatasaray, while the German duo of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich face Málaga and Juventus.
In Turkey, many Galatasaray fans felt UEFA was using their club as a sacrifice to ensure that one of the world's most popular clubs would reach the final rounds of the tournament.
"UEFA manipulated the draw for both the Champions League and Europa League," Çakar said on Turkish station Beyaz TV.
The Turkish official then detailed his theory that those carrying out the draw were made to carry metal objects in their hand which pick up vibrations in the balls as they bounce around the pot, and thus know exactly when to draw each ball to ensure the most exciting ties possible.
During the Champions League last 16 draw in December, the practice draw corresponded exactly with the real one, with the odds of that happening thought to be one in two million.
 | |
| The draw balls are displayed during the Champions League quarter finals draw Photo: Getty Images |
Çakar claimed UEFA rigged the draw to ensure the maximum possible interest in the semi-finals, and keep teams from the same country apart until the latter stages.
Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid were kept apart in the draw, both being paired with Paris Saint-Germain and Galatasaray, while the German duo of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich face Málaga and Juventus.
In Turkey, many Galatasaray fans felt UEFA was using their club as a sacrifice to ensure that one of the world's most popular clubs would reach the final rounds of the tournament.
"UEFA manipulated the draw for both the Champions League and Europa League," Çakar said on Turkish station Beyaz TV.
The Turkish official then detailed his theory that those carrying out the draw were made to carry metal objects in their hand which pick up vibrations in the balls as they bounce around the pot, and thus know exactly when to draw each ball to ensure the most exciting ties possible.
During the Champions League last 16 draw in December, the practice draw corresponded exactly with the real one, with the odds of that happening thought to be one in two million.
