When Former UEFA Boss Admitted 1998 Edition of World Cup Was 'Rigged' Amid Van Gaal’s Messi Comments

• Louis Van Gaal opened a can of worms with his remarks on Lionel Messi's World Cup win
• The former coach of the Netherlands alleged the tournament was 'scripted' for Argentina
• Sports Brief takes a look at the other times fans or officials made similar claims of rigging

Louis van Gaal provoked some serious reactions with his claim that the World Cup 2022 games were 'premeditated' in Lionel Messi's favour.

Van Gaal, who was in charge of the Netherlands at the 2022 edition, came up against Messi's Argentina in the quarter-finals. His side lost on post-match penalties after a tempestuous two-all draw at the Lusail Stadium.

The Dutch tactician has argued that the manner in which Argentina got their goals and their players went unpunished could only mean one thing - Messi was meant to be world champion, come what may.

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When the World Cup was allegedly rigged

Unfortunately for football lovers, van Gaal's claims are not the first time the words 'rigging' or 'scripted' have rocked the game - nor will they be the last.

Former UEFA President and France legend, Michel Platini has in the past revealed the 1998 edition of the World Cup in his country was fixed.

He admitted the draw was done in such a manner that the hosts would not meet the tournament favourites, Brazil, until at least the final.

As previously reported by Sports Brief, the three-time Ballon d'Or winner was then co-president of the World Cup Organising Committee and was present when the draw was conducted.

"When we organised the calendar, we did a little trickery. If we finished first in the group and Brazil finished first, we could not meet before the final. We did not work until we were bored for six years to organise the World Cup, not to do some little shenanigans."

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Bizarre incidents at 1966 World Cup

As subtle as Platini's confession sounds, such revelations always create more doubt in fans' minds. Questions like: 'If they can influence the draw, what else can they dictate?' cropped up after such admissions.

Apart from 1998 and 2022, the 1966 World Cup hosted by England also produced some interesting scenarios. In the quarter-finals, Uruguay had two players sent off against West Germany by an English referee.

Argentina also had a player sent off against the eventual winners - England - by a West Germany referee. Brazil were eliminated in the group stage, with all their matches overseen by English and West Germany referees. Coincidence?

2002 World Cup match-fixing?

Fast forward to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, where the former progressed to the quarter-finals after an Ecuadorian referee disallowed an Italian goal and sent off Francesco Totti for diving.

An Egyptian referee then disallowed two Spanish goals in the quarter-finals as South Korea reached their first-ever World Cup semi-finals, as captured by GMS.

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The Ecuadorian official, Byron Moreno, was later suspended for match-fixing, as reported by the Guardian. It is important to note that his suspension wasn't related to the 2002 World Cup.

The 'importance' of keeping a host nation

In the 1998 and 2002 cases, the theory has always been floated that FIFA wanted the host nation to progress to the latter stages of the competition so as to be able to maintain home support and bigger crowds.

There are also other examples from 1978 and 1982 and with Van Gaal's latest comments and Platini's previous admissions, one can't help but wonder if there really are dark arts involved behind the scenes.

That's the sad thing about conspiracies and theories. You will almost never be able to prove or disprove them - unless someone comes forward - but at the same time, the rumours never seem to go away.