Craziest Conspiracy Theories In Football History

From accusations of bribery to spiked drinks, here are some of the biggest conspiracy theories in football history. Neymar's disappearing act In 2014, when injury ruled Neymar out of the World Cup semis, the Brazilian looked devastated, but some eagle-eyed fans claimed there was more to the story than met the eye. Let's rewind to that tournament. Brazil were under huge pressure to win on home soil. Neymar was only 22, but he was already the national team's star man. The Barcelona 4 would help Brazil reach the quarters, where they came up against an impressive Colombia side. Brazil won a tight, tense game 2-1, but it wasn't a completely positive night for the hosts. That's because in a very physical match, Neymar suffered a minor fracture of a vertebra in his back after being kneed by Juan Zuniga. The doctors immediately told him he wouldn't be fit for the semis against Germany. That's the official story, anyway. Some fans don't believe it. They think Neymar faked his injury because he didn't want to be part of a possible humiliation by the Germans. Conspiracy theorists studied pictures of Neymar being taken to hospital and claimed that some of his tattoos were missing. They argued Brazil had employed a body double and that Neymar was absolutely fine. Whatever the truth, Brazil lived through their worst nightmare in a 7-1 thrashing by Germany a few days later. Tottenham's dodgy lasagna Nutritionists and chefs have a pivotal role to play in modern football. In 2006, Tottenham found this out in the worst possible circumstances. It was the final weekend of the Premier League season. For Spurs, the task was simple. Beat West Ham and they'd finish in the top four. Tottenham could almost hear the Champions League anthem ringing in their ears. The squad stayed at a hotel before the game at Upton Park. They were served lasagna in the restaurant the night before the match. The players were in a relaxed mood as they tucked into their food. But a few hours later, several Spurs players were throwing up in their hotel rooms. It wasn't a coincidence that numerous players fell ill at the same time. The lasagna had given them food poisoning. Some Tottenham players weren't able to play the next day, others did play but were far from their best. West Ham won 2-1 and Arsenal qualified for the Champions League instead. Was the chef an Arsenal fan? The hotel was cleared of any wrongdoing, but Tottenham supporters still suspect foul play. South Korea at the 2002 World Cup South Korea's run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup is often described as a But there's a much darker side to the co-hosts' achievement that summer. With Goose Hiddink in charge, South Korea were determined to do more than just make up the numbers. The Tegu Warriors finished top of the group ahead of the USA, Portugal and Poland. They then beat Italy in the round of 16 before dumping out Spain in the quarters. Hiddink's side were finally halted in the semis, beaten 1-0 by Germany. But although Koreans were thrilled by the team's achievements, Italy and Spain were left flabbergasted by some controversial refereeing decisions. Italy had Francesco Totti harshly sent off and a Damiano Tommasi goal incorrectly ruled out. Spain had two goals chalked off in the quarter-final before their eventual defeat on penalties. Ivan Helguera called it a And the Spanish media slammed the match officials as Thieves of Dreams. 20 years later, fans in Italy and Spain still refuse to believe they were victims of just bad luck. The Holy Water Scandal Now, you don't need to be a South American to know there's no love lost between Argentina and Brazil. At the 1990 World Cup, a shocking incident proved how fierce the rivalry is. The two nations met in the round of 16. One would be going through to the quarters, and one would be going home. The stakes couldn't be higher, and both teams were desperate to win. The game was played in Turin. Okay, not exactly Mexico City, but it can still get pretty hot in late June. During the match, Brazil left-back Branco was offered a drink by the Argentina physio. He gratefully accepted it. But that was a big mistake. All of a sudden, Branco felt lethargic. He'd been man-marking Diego Maradona. But the Argentine genius was now starting to find space. With nine minutes left, Maradona set up Claudio Coniglia to score the only goal of the game. That wasn't the end of it. Branco complained that something must have been in the water he was given. Years later, Maradona backed him up. He told the press that the water had been laced with tranquilizers. Ronaldo at the World Cup It was the eve of the 1998 World Cup final, and the stage was set for Ronaldo to demonstrate once and for all that he was the most exciting player on the planet. Then something terrible happened. O Fenomeno was living up to his nickname. He scored four goals, and with his blend of speed, skill, and ruthless finishing, he led Brazil to the final. Ronaldo was unstoppable. Brazil were the favorites against France, but just an hour before kickoff, the world was stunned to discover that Ronaldo had been left out of the starting 11. In the end, the striker did start, but he was a shadow of his usual self as France beat Brazil 3-0 to win their first ever World Cup. What had happened to R9? Reports soon emerged that he'd had a seizure the night before the game. Surely Ronaldo shouldn't have played. It didn't make any medical sense, but countless Brazilians believed the conspiracy that the all-powerful hand of Nike had a huge say. Nike's influence on the Brazil national team back then was massive. Remember all those brilliant adverts like the one in the airport lounge? Some believe there was a darker side to the £105 million partnership. Nike couldn't afford for Ronaldo to miss the biggest game in world sport. He was their most marketable star, and his absence from the final would have been unthinkable. Seizure or no seizure, Ronaldo had to play. Steven Gerrard's secret plan. Club captain. Star player. Boyhood fan. Steven Gerrard would do anything to win for Liverpool. But on one occasion, maybe he actually wanted the Reds to lose. It's hard to imagine. During his 17 seasons as a first-teamer at Anfield, Gerrard gave his blood, sweat and tears for the cause. He could have left Liverpool on several occasions, but Gerrard never abandoned the club he loved. So why does some conspiracy theorist believe the midfielder once missed a penalty on purpose? Well, it's exactly because he wanted the best for the club. In 2011, Liverpool were going through a terrible period under Roy Hodgson. The former Fulham boss was unpopular with the supporters. At one point, the Reds were even in the relegation zone. In a 3-1 loss to Blackburn, Gerrard missed a penalty. It wasn't even close. The ball went sailing over the bar. Stevie G looked disappointed. But was it all an act because he wanted Hodgson gone? Well, if it was, it worked. Roy was sacked within days. Hosting the World Cup. England and the United States were the favourites to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. But in December 2010, when the vote was held, both countries were left stunned by the result. The host nations were chosen at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich for the 2018 edition. England had a strong rival in Spain and Portugal. But they felt they'd done enough to win the vote. As for the US, they fancied their chances of landing the 2022 World Cup ahead of South Korea and Japan. To the surprise of almost everyone in attendance, Russia won the hosting rights for 2018. Then something incredible happened. When Sepp Blatter opened the envelope for 2022, the name of... Qatar was inside. There've been allegations of corruption and bribery ever since. American prosecutors accused Russian officials of paying millions of dollars to FIFA voters. There were also allegations made against Qatar. A leaked email sent by FIFA's General Secretary Jerome Valk suggested they'd bought the hosting rights. Qatar is a tiny nation with zero football heritage. Either they managed to persuade FIFA with some very well-crafted arguments and dazzling PowerPoint presentations. Or, well, you can probably guess where we're going with this. Howard Webb's favourite club For a long time, Howard Webb was seen as the best referee in England. But in 2015, an inflammatory comment from the retired ref left many supporters up in arms. Webb became a Premier League referee in 2003 after quitting the police force. He quickly rose through the ranks, winning respect for his no-nonsense style of officiating. In 2010, Webb was effectively recognised as the best referee on the planet when FIFA appointed him to take charge of the World Cup final. He wasn't universally popular, though. There were suspicions back in England about Webb's allegiances. After a string of pro-Manchester United decisions, the Yorkshireman was accused of secretly being a red devil. Liverpool fans were particularly irate when, in 2009, Webb gave United a controversial penalty against Tottenham. United had been losing 2-0, but they fought back to win the game and remain in control of the title race. Then, in 2015, Webb quipped that United had got worse since his retirement and suggested it might not be a coincidence. The ex-ref was just making a joke, but not everyone saw the funny side. BARCELONA'S SPONSORSHIP With his Real Madrid team up against one of the greatest Barcelona sides of all time, Jose Mourinho was more than happy to play dirty to gain an advantage. But at one point, the special one claimed it was Barca who were up to no good. For a large chunk of their history, Barcelona played without a shirt sponsor. Their motto is Mequeon Club. More than a club. And this initiative seemed to show it. In 2005, Barcelona finally agreed to have a sponsor's logo on their shirts. But instead of a multinational corporation, it was a charity who got the nod. The UNICEF logo adorned Barca's shirts for the next five years, with the club paying the humanitarian aid organisation for the privilege. It was an arrangement which earned Barcelona a huge amount of praise. But Mourinho had his doubts. After Pepe was sent off in El Clásico, Jose put on his conspiracy theorist hat. The Madrid manager accused referees of giving Barcelona favourable decisions because of their support for UNICEF. I don't know if it's the UNICEF sponsorship or if it's because they're nice guys. I don't understand. European referees against the English The European Cup was founded in 1955. But England refused to send a team for the first edition. That decision might have proved very, very costly. The FA didn't really see the point of this newfangled competition. They thought it could undermine their own tournaments. Chelsea could have taken part in 1955-56, but the Football League persuaded them to withdraw. Manchester United participated the following season, but the damage had already been done. Some people argue that UEFA wanted to punish England for not getting involved from the start. They insist that it's not a coincidence that an English team didn't win the competition until 1968, when Matt Busby's United lifted the trophy at Wembley. There were certainly some dodgy decisions before then. Liverpool were on the wrong end of some terrible refereeing when they lost to Inter in 1965. A club director gave birth to the conspiracy when he claimed that UEFA were out to get all English sides. English clubs have now won the European Cup or Champions League 14 times, so it's fair to say UEFA no longer holds a grudge. Which other conspiracy theories would you add to the list? Drop a comment below, then hit subscribe for more great football content.