Platini admits draw for 1998 World Cup was fixed so France faced Brazil in final and says all hosts rig WC Draws

[decapitated]

https://news.sky.com/story/platini-admits-draw-for-1998-world-cup-was-fixed-so-france-faced-brazil-in-final-11377566

 

Quote

Disgraced ex-footballer Michel Platini has admitted the draw for the 1998 World Cup was fixed.

The former UEFA president and Euro 84 winner said the scam "wasn't difficult" and had boosted the chances of what he called a "dream final" of France against Brazil.

He told France Bleu Sport: "Group A was France, Group F or Group L was Brazil, so if they both finished first they couldn't meet, that's all - it was simple."

The revelations come as the man once nicknamed Le Roi (The King) - who still boasts the most goals in a European Championship with nine - serves a four-year ban from involvement in football.

He was found to have received a "disloyal payment" of £1.3m from then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

The ban was originally eight years but has been reduced twice.

Platini was a co-president of the organising committee at France 98 which placed Brazil in Group A, as was the standard practice at the time for the defending champions, and France in Group C - meaning if both teams won their groups, they could not meet before the final.

That was how it turned out, with France humbling the defending champions 3-0 at the Stade de France with two goals from now Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.

The 62-year-old former France manager was laughing as he confessed: "We did a bit of trickery. When we were organising the schedule.

"We did not spend six years organising the World Cup to not do some little shenanigans. Do you think other World Cup hosts did not?"

This doesn't susprise me, but I don't think it every world cup host rigged the actual draw. 

[afced7]

He's not even got the groups right, Group A was Brazil, and Group L?

[Nordan]

I think it's always set up so the host and the defending champ won't meet until the final if they both win their groups.

[deltablue]

Having looked it up that does appear to be the case since 1974, not before though. In 1970 the Soviet Union won Mexico's group and would have faced Brazil (who won England's group) if they hadn't been knocked out by Uruguay first. Same with England-Portugal (in place of Brazil) 4 years earlier.

[georginho_juventusygr]

Kevin Gallacher's World Cup!

[Chase Failey]

Who rigs a draw to face Brazil? 

[enigmatic]

28 minutes ago, Chase Failey said:

Who rigs a draw to face Brazil? 

The claim is they rigged it to not face them before the final. 

Whether you choose to believe Platini is actually telling the truth or making eye-catching claims to take attention away from his more bog standard embezzling, and incidentally tarnish the other tournament-winning French national side by association with him...

If ever someone deserve a headbutt from Zidane...

[git2thachoppa]

Doesn't add up because:

- Only 4 years ago, Brazil were put right next to Spain and Netherlands.

- The World Cups before 1998 had ****ed up formats like Euro 2016 so you couldn't really play the system unless everyone played exactly as expected.

- There have been only 2 hosts that could've reached the final since 1998

- There are usually 2 or 3 equally strong favourites

- You can look at a past tournament and see it was 'rigged' to avoid a big team or give an 'easy' draw. Especially if favourites are forgotten over time. People will forget that Argentina were favourites for 2002 and Brazil were expected to flop badly, for example.

 

[deltablue]

2 hours ago, git2thachoppa said:

Doesn't add up because:

- Only 4 years ago, Brazil were put right next to Spain and Netherlands.

- The World Cups before 1998 had ****ed up formats like Euro 2016 so you couldn't really play the system unless everyone played exactly as expected.

- There have been only 2 hosts that could've reached the final since 1998

- There are usually 2 or 3 equally strong favourites

- You can look at a past tournament and see it was 'rigged' to avoid a big team or give an 'easy' draw. Especially if favourites are forgotten over time. People will forget that Argentina were favourites for 2002 and Brazil were expected to flop badly, for example.

 

It applies if both are group winners, so Brazil and Spain wouldn't have faced each other until the final in that situation, hence Argentina and Italy playing in the semi-finals in 1990 since the former squeaked through in 3rd. I looked up the previous World Cups (using the teams that finished top instead if the hosts or holders didn't) and aside from 2002 because of the co-hosting it's true for all tournaments from 1974 onwards, yes even with the different formats used in the meantime. Obviously it's just a theoretical scenario to work on if it is deliberate and not some sort of flawless master plan and no one is expecting or claiming otherwise.

[git2thachoppa]

10 hours ago, deltablue said:

It applies if both are group winners, so Brazil and Spain wouldn't have faced each other until the final in that situation, hence Argentina and Italy playing in the semi-finals in 1990 since the former squeaked through in 3rd. I looked up the previous World Cups (using the teams that finished top instead if the hosts or holders didn't) and aside from 2002 because of the co-hosting it's true for all tournaments from 1974 onwards, yes even with the different formats used in the meantime. Obviously it's just a theoretical scenario to work on if it is deliberate and not some sort of flawless master plan and no one is expecting or claiming otherwise.

Putting the hosts immediately next to a group of death (and they did nearly go out in the 2nd round) doesn't sound the smartest of evil plans.

A rigged draw would be putting Brazil next to Spain + 3 weak teams.

How do you rig World Cups with formats like Euro 2016's?

Italy in 1990 were put in a group next to 86 winners Argentina and 88 runner-up Soviet Union + 2 teams that were expected to be weak.