Fans are claiming that the Europa League draw has been rigged

Fans are furious

Some fans are claiming that the Europa League draw has been rigged. The draw for the Europa League round of 16 play-off ties was on Monday with the most eye-catching of the clashes seeing Manchester United draw Barcelona. A game usually fit for Champions League occasions, the two came up against each other after United finished second in their Europa League group while Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League after finishing third in their group. However the draw has been met with anger, with some even going as far to say that the draw was fixed given that both teams came out of the hat first. "Barca vs Man utd in the europa league…. no way the draw wasn’t rigged for that," wrote one fan. https://twitter.com/KieranCFC88/status/1589591670873473024 Another said: "This Europa League draw was so rigged. Barcelona was inevitable. The cash cow and views draw for UEFA." https://twitter.com/stanleflash/status/1589592338191757313 Another person said: "This proves that this draw is rigged and fixed by UEFA." https://twitter.com/imasad18/status/1589591882568720385 Meanwhile internet sensation Mark Goldbridge said: "These draws are a joke though. So easy to follow the ball of United and draw it." https://twitter.com/markgoldbridge/status/1589592535164678146 This will be the first time the two have gone up against each other since 2019 with Barcelona boss Xavi admitting it wasn't the draw he was hoping for. "It is the most difficult opponent once again," the Spaniard said. "But we will look forward to it. They are a historic side, they have grown a lot with Ten Hag, they have great players. "It's the worst draw we could have got. Once again. No luck." The first of the two legs will take place on February 16, while the return leg will take place on February 23. Related links: