Football supporters erupted on social media, alleging the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw was manipulated shortly after the final ball was selected.
The draw, scheduled for the week of December 14, was conducted on Wednesday night following the fourth-round clash between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield, which Liverpool won on penalties.
Resulting fixtures include Fleetwood Town, who eliminated Arsenal, meeting the winner of the Everton-Newcastle tie; Liverpool versus Bournemouth at Anfield; Crystal Palace hosting Sunderland at Selhurst Park; and Manchester City hosting Bradford City at the Etihad.
While many fans welcomed the matchups, several expressed displeasure, claiming City's pairing with Bradford proved a rigged draw. One user on X wrote, "City need 115 charges relating to rigged league cup draws alone."
Carabao Cup quarter-final draw in full
Liverpool vs Bournemouth
Crystal Palace vs Sunderland
Manchester City vs Bradford
Fleetwood vs Everton/Newcastle
A Liverpool fan commented, "The EFL Cup is rigged. OFC they don't want City to face us." Another added, "Rigged bulls**t to benefit Man City." Additional remarks accused the draw of favouring City with lower-league opposition.
Organisers noted no evidence has been provided to support these accusations. The live Sky Sports draw involved ball mixing in front of a large audience, with selections made by Conor Coady and Graeme Le Saux.
City's scrutiny follows a recent finding that the club breached more than 100 Premier League financial rules, a verdict the team is appealing and says it can refute with its own evidence.
