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Football

13th Apr 2018

Fans think Champions League is fixed after Roma website slip-up

There will be uproar if this tie is drawn

Kyle Picknell

The conspiracy theorists are having a field day.

AS Roma have caused a bit of a stir after their website appeared to briefly list match tickets for an upcoming Champions League semi-final, against Liverpool, with the draw still yet to take place in Zurich later today at 12pm.

Do they know something the rest of us don’t?

The Champions League has had a long flirtation with controversy, with many football fans believing the draws are constantly fixed to favour certain match-ups and teams, with Real Madrid usually cited. The recurring theory is that the balls containing the team names are heated during the drawing process.

Of course, there is absolutely no evidence for this. But there is this screenshot:

The image is said to be from Roma’s official website’s ticket page, and as you can see, it clearly shows an upcoming home game against Genoa.

Just kidding – a Liverpool semi-final is what we’re looking at here.

The image was first reported by Rome’s daily newspaper Il Tempo. The top paragraph reads:

USER CHANGE

Dear Fans, as foreseen by the D.M. Interior of 6 June 2005 it is necessary by A.S. Rome to verify the identity of users of access rights (season tickets / tickets): those who access the stadium using irregular (presumably the wrong) identities are subject to the penalties provided for by the Law.

On this page it is possible to change the user to a person other than the one indicated on the stadium entrance ticket: the operation has immediate effect if it is successfully completed.

Why it is referencing an Italian law from 2005 that means you must confirm your identity before buying match tickets, I don’t know, but as always with something like this, there will be uproar should Liverpool actually draw the Italian giants.

Which, obviously, they have a 1/3 chance of doing anyway – heated balls or no heated balls.

If they don’t? Well, there will probably be some uproar anyway that UEFA have taken drastic action. Are you a believer or not?