May
5
Rivals losing on purpose?
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It’s the type of accusation that flies around every now and then when the end-of-the-season games roll along, and this past week we’ve had a couple of big points of discussion in two separate leagues. Liverpool, already out of the Champions league places and with little to play for, lost at home 2-0 to Chelsea, almost certainly handing them the title in expense of their bitter rivals Manchester United. In Serie A, Roma president Rosella Sensi has hit out at city-rivals Lazio for losing by the same scoreline to Inter Milan, also pretty much ending Roma’s hopes for a title.
So is there something to this, and did Liverpool and Lazio lose on purpose? As fiercely as some fans would like to contest these accusations, I’d say it’s a bit far-fetched. No, they might not have exactly given it their all as if it was their most important game of the season, but Liverpool and Lazio are two proud clubs who wouldn’t participate in such a thing. Of course, there were some sections of their supporters that actually cheered on their team losing, but not the majority I’d say.
Roma’s president seems to have taken the allegations a bit more seriously than Alex Ferguson, but then he has to remember than Lazio also lost at home to Roma themselves, and gave them a big boost. Similarly, Man United were beaten at home by Chelsea in the crucial match last month, so at the end of the day the rightful teams will lift the trophies.