Episode [314]: UEFA Operating in the Dark

The draw ceremony for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 2007-2008 season has begun.

The UEFA Secretary-General Infantino presided over the UEFA Champions League group draw ceremony, and he announced the official start of the UEFA Champions League group draw.

Then UEFA President Platini appeared on the scene holding the UEFA Champions League trophy.

Platini also spoke on stage, full of expectations for the new season.

Then, Infantino came to the stage to introduce the top 32 teams in the UEFA Champions League. The big screen on the stage played the introduction videos of the 32 teams.

Zhong Cheng's gaze stayed on the big screen here, watching carefully, to see what level the top 32 teams are this time?

After the video was played, Infantino claimed that UEFA divided the thirty-two teams into four teams through team and league points. When the group draws, teams of the same level will not meet. Teams from the same football association will not meet.

At this time, the big video screen behind Infantino showed the top 32 teams in this season's UEFA Champions League, as follows:

Pot 1: AC Milan, Barcelona, ​​Liverpool, Inter Milan, Leeds United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United

Pot 2: Valencia, Lyon, Porto, Sevilla, PSV, Roma, Benfica, Werder Bremen

Pot 3: Marseille, Celtic, Schalke 04, Stuttgart, Steaua Bucharest, CSKA Moscow, Sporting Lisbon, Lazio

Pot 4: Rosenborg, Rangers, Dynamo Kiev, Betaxis, Shakhtar Donetsk, Olympiakos, Fenerbahce and Slavia Prague

Yes, the Bundesliga's class bully Bayern Munich failed to reach the top three in the Bundesliga and missed the UEFA Champions League this season. Just like Arsenal in the Premier League, they also missed the top four and could not participate in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Zhong Cheng saw the windshield this time. The only team in the second tier is afraid of Rome. The strength of the Roman team is very strong. If they are divided into a group with them, you must be careful. If you add a Bundesliga team, then this group is a veritable death group.

Zhong Cheng naturally does not want Leeds United to be assigned to such a group. Zhong Cheng hopes that the easier and simpler the Leeds United group, the better.

The players of Leeds United watched the UEFA Champions League draw in front of the TV.

Zhong Zheng sat next to Zhong Cheng, because he was nominated for the best goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League this time. I don't know if he can win the award.

Along with Zhong Zheng, goalkeeper Dida of last season's UEFA Champions League champion AC Milan, and goalkeeper Peter Cech of last season's UEFA Champions League semi-finalist Chelsea, these three will compete for the honor of the best goalkeeper of last season's UEFA Champions League.

Infantino finished introducing the draw rules for this UEFA Champions League group stage. Teams of the same level and under the same Football Association will not be divided into the same group, and nothing else is taken into account.

At this time, Infantino will present an award before the official draw. This award is the best goalkeeper award in the UEFA Champions League last season.

Infantino claimed: "Ac Milan's Dida, Chelsea's Peter Cech, and Leeds United's Aldridge Chung are shortlisted for the 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League Best Goalkeeper Award!"

Every time a person's name is pronounced, the camera lens on the scene is aimed at this person, and the atmosphere of the scene is adjusted to the most tense moment.

At this time, Infantino announced: "The best goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League in the 2006-2007 season is-Peter Cech, from Chelsea!"

The corner of Zhong Zheng's mouth curled slightly, and then he applauded congratulatoryly.

Obviously, Zhong Zheng himself is not convinced, he thinks this award should belong to him. But in the end it was indeed lost to Peter Cech.

Zhong Zheng believed that the reason why he did not win this award was that Leeds United did not reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, which made Zhong Zheng very upset. At the same time, he is also determined to lead Leeds United to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and even directly win the UEFA Champions League.

Zhong Cheng knew Zhong Zheng very well. He patted Zhong Zheng on the shoulder and said, "It doesn't matter. The best goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League this season must be yours!"

Zhong Zheng looked up at Zhong Cheng, and said directly: "I think so too! Don't worry, I'm not depressed, I feel my body is full of energy now!"

Zhong Cheng smiled slightly and nodded.

Jack goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea took the stage to accept the award, which is the first award presented today.

Then Infantino announced that the draw was just beginning, and the first team drawn would be the first tier. Of course, drawing the first-tier teams is not always exciting at all, because it is simply sorting, so that the first-tier teams belong to their respective positions.

The lottery guests invited by Infantino began to draw lots, and Real Madrid, who were the first to be drawn, were drawn into Group C. The second Red Devils Manchester United to be drawn, they were drawn into Group F. The third team to be drawn was Liverpool, who were drawn into Group A. Barcelona, ​​who were drawn fourth, were drawn into Group E.

By this time, half of the first-tier teams had been drawn, but they still hadn't made it to Leeds United. Zhong Cheng was still a bit fluctuating in his number position.

The fifth draw was Leeds United, and they were assigned to Group H, the last group. The sixth to be drawn is Inter Milan, who were drawn to Group G. The seventh to be drawn was AC Milan, and the defending champion was drawn to Group D. The last one is naturally Chelsea, and they were assigned to Group B.

At this time, the results of the lottery for the first-tier teams came out, and everyone had already made their names. Next is the exciting moment, and it is time to draw the second-tier team.

At this time, many people are thinking, hoping to avoid the Roma team.

And Zhong Cheng smiled slightly. According to FIFA's bad taste, Zhong Cheng felt that the Roma team was likely to be drawn by the Red Devils Manchester United. Because in the UEFA Champions League last season, Roma and Manchester United played against each other in the knockout round, and Roma was bloodbathed by Manchester United with a big score of 7 to 1. The two teams took over the feud. If these two teams meet in the group stage, it must be very interesting.

There have been similar draws in the UEFA Champions League draws in the past. It is no wonder that many people claim that UEFA's draws are a black-box operation. It has long been designed by UEFA internally. These draws are just a formality.

Zhong Cheng also imagined that if this is the case, UEFA may still group Chelsea and Valencia into a group, because Chelsea also faced Valencia in the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League last season.

Zhong Cheng's eyes were fixed on Infantino, this guy wouldn't really dare to do this, would he?

However, before that, UEFA has to find another award, which is the award for the best central defender in the UEFA Champions League last season. The nominees include AC Milan's central defender Nesta, Liverpool's central defender Carragher and Chelsea's central defender John Terry.

After seeing these few people, there was no suspense about the result at all. Sure enough, the award for the best defender in the 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League was given to central defender Nesta of the defending champion AC Milan.

Next came the most intense and exciting group draw.

This is the second round of the draw. Now the grouping is about to start. The people on the scene and in front of the TV are all nervous.

At this moment, Infantino invited the second guest of today's lottery draw, and then the group draw was conducted.

First of all, the team drawn by the guests is Roma!

Zhongcheng was startled, oh my god, do you want to make it so big right from the start?

Roma is the strongest team among the second-tier teams, and it is also the second-tier team that the first-tier teams least want to encounter. It was so ferocious as soon as it came up, everyone on the scene gasped.

Dangerous, who will draw the Roma team?

Zhong Cheng was also worried that Leeds United would draw Roma, but he still felt that according to UEFA's urgency, the one that drew Roma must be Manchester United, it must be Manchester United.

At this moment, Zhong Cheng could not help but glance at Alex Ferguson.

Alex Ferguson frowned inwardly, his face a bit gloomy. Feeling Zhong Cheng's gaze, he immediately said indifferently: "Why, you really treat the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain? UEFA can..."

Before Alex Ferguson finished speaking, Infantino opened the slip of paper in his hand and read aloud: "Group F! Roma and Manchester United are in the same group!"

Hearing this, Zhong Cheng burst into laughter and couldn't hold it back!

And Alex Ferguson's face was ashen, and the psychologist was surging with endless anger!

Damn UEFA is so blatantly operating in secret, it is simply an insult to the IQ of the public, damn UEFA, damn rubbish!

The face of the head coach of the Roma team, Spalletti, is also very ugly, and he is in a very bad mood.

The scene was eerily quiet. It seemed that many people had already guessed that UEFA would put Roma and Manchester United in the same group. Now that this incident has really happened, everyone at the scene gasped and had nothing to say.

UEFA is really awesome, it is so blatant. After the draw, there will definitely be all kinds of shady remarks. UEFA is about to be blacked out again.

Zhong Cheng also gave UEFA a thumbs up in his heart, these guys really dare to play. And they played so blatantly, the UEFA group is really a hero among heroes!

Zhong Cheng looked up at Infantino at this moment. Could this guy really be assigning Valencia to Chelsea? If this is the case, UEFA is really going to die!

At this time, the other coaches had the same idea as Zhong Cheng and waited quietly.

At this time, the coaches of Chelsea and Valencia were a little worried and nervous. They still looked at each other with a tacit understanding in their hearts. It seems that Chelsea and Valencia are really going to be in the same group this time.

Everyone at the scene and in front of the TV was staring at Infantino on stage, wondering whether this guy would let such a thing happen?