Fans claim FA Cup draw is ‘rigged’ as Man City and Liverpool get lower league opponents but Man Utd face Arsenal
THE FA CUP third round draw led to furious reactions from a few disappointed fans, with some going as far as to describe it as “rigged”.
The third round draw’s most exciting tie is between Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United, who will face off on the weekend of January 11 at the Emirates.
In contrast, Arsenal and United’s rivals were drawn against lower-league opponents.
Manchester City got Salford, Chelsea drew Morecambe, Liverpool were paired with Accrington Stanley and Tottenham will face Tamworth.
And some fans believe the difference of quality between those ties makes the draw, which was conducted by former Manchester United players Mark Hughes and Dion Dublin, look suspicious.
One fan tweeted: “Absolutely f*****g rigged.”
Another commented: “That’s fixed. Arsenal vs Utd. I’m sure he (Dublin or Hughes) didn’t even mix them around.”
A third wrote: “Watching the FA Cup draw and what the hell.”
This fan said: “City vs Salford. Liverpool vs Accrington. Chelsea vs Morecambe… Arsenal vs United. Of course.”
And that one stated: “Calling fix, United getting drawn away to Arsenal, City getting Salford at home and Liverpool getting an effective nobody.”
But of course there is absolutely no indication that supports those wild claims.
Man Utd won the FA Cup last season thanks to a 2-1 win over rivals Man City in the Wembley final, which saved former manager Erik ten Hag’s job.
The Red Devils will be facing the most successful team in the competition’s history, with Arsenal winning the trophy a record 14 times.
However, if Ruben Amorim’s side were to go all the way they would draw level with the Gunners’ total.