UEFA president Michel Platini has insisted that the Champions League match between Olympique Lyonnais and Dinamo Zagreb, which ended 7-1, was not fixed.
“It is reasonable to question such a large score in the match, but I fully respect the institution of the Champions League and therefore I have no doubt about the integrity of the contest,” Platini told Sky Sports News.
“Why was nothing said about the Valencia-Genk match on November 23rd which ended 7-0?
“There will only be an investigation of any match if something suspicious has come to the attention of the referee or the match observers.
“We are working hard to fight corruption and we do generally address the problem of fixed matches.
“In football there are millions of nice things, but there are some problems that we must solve.”
To be honest, I was not at all convinced that this match may have been fixed.
However, the Real Madrid-Ajax clash did have its fair share of controversial moments.
In the game, Ajax were denied two perfectly good goals, while Madrid were awarded one on a marginal offside call.
That is three borderline decisions, all of which went against Ajax.
Unlucky or fixed?
We may never know. That being said, unlucky is probably the right answer.
Vidic Hopes Winter Period Will Boost United’s Form
Despite being ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Manchester United skipper Nemanja Vidic has not shied away from the spotlight.
Vidic is confident that United can hit their stride in December and pose a huge title threat to Manchester City.
“Often we’ll play on Wednesday and then Saturday, Wednesday and then Saturday,” Vidic told Inside United.
“This helps you get into a rhythm and training during this time is all about recovery and rest.
“Physically, it’s easier on your body when you’re not travelling for international football.
“If you’ve been away with your country it can sometimes take you two days to adjust when you get back to Manchester. Now, until February, all the players will be together and concentrating only on Manchester United.
“We can work on a lot of different things together and focus ourselves for the end of the season. Traditionally we tend to do well over winter, our form tends to improve. Hopefully we can do the same this year.
“December and January can be very difficult mentally, not just physically,” Vidic added.
“When you play so many games in one year without a break it can be very hard. There’s always pressure at this club, you have pressure to win this game and then the next game and then the game after that.
“If you do that for one whole year without any rest, without any time to relax or take your mind off football, this can be tough. But, I have to say, when I arrived here in England I found the winter much more difficult. Now we all know what to expect.”
Will United reclaim their spot at the top of the Premier League table in December?
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