PSG's Marco Verratti Says He Doesn't Believe Red Star Match-Fixing Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has said he doesn't believe the suspicions his squad's recent 6-1 UEFA Champions League triumph over Red Star Belgrade was the result of match-fixing.

ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson referred to an L'Equipe report that said a Red Star official was being investigated by France's National Financial Prosecutor's office (PNF) after betting €5 million (£4.4 million) that his team would lose by five goals. The bet was allegedly made via accomplices, presumably to avoid a trail of evidence.

However, Verratti sees no reason to cry foul when he and his team-mates have achieved that feat numerous times in recent years. After playing in Italy's 1-0 UEFA Nations League win over Poland on Sunday, he said:

"We did not feel anything. I do not think that is true.

"We put in a great performance and it is not the first time that we have won by five goals. Last year, we won by five goals on many occasions. These are somebody else's problems -- we are not interested in them."

Red Star have denied their involvement in the matter and recently released a statement that said they've hired a lawyer to take legal action against L'Equipe.

Per Johnson, it read: "We have hired a lawyer in France who is looking into potential legal action against L'Equipe for attacking the honour of the club. Red Star will continue to seek the truth and that the manipulators and informants responsible for this shameful act are brought to justice."

Rob Harris of the Associated Press provided a response from PSG, who were clearly eager to demonstrate they had no knowledge or connection with the accused match-fixing:

Johnson also touched upon rumours that PSG CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi had met with a Red Star counterpart, but PSG communications director Jean-Martial Ribes moved to quash that speculation:

"There has been no contact with the PNF, who lead the investigation. Anybody implying that this supposed meeting [between PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi and the Red Star leader in question] should or could have gone ahead is open to prosecution.

"It goes without saying that if there is a case and PSG are one of the victims, then we will press charges."

The result admittedly sticks out for Red Star, especially considering defence has been the team's overriding strength in recent times.

Red Star won the Serbian Superliga last season and lost one game throughout, conceding 15 times in 30 regular-season matches. They were enjoying a 29-match undefeated streak prior to their trip to the Parc des Princes and managed to draw 0-0 at home to Napoli in their previous European outing.

Then again, the victory really wasn't out of character for PSG, either. In fact, Thomas Tuchel's men hammered Lyon 5-0 on Saturday, their first Ligue 1 match since the midweek meeting with Red Star.

PSG scored five goals or more on 12 occasions last season—all of which were wins, unsurprisingly—and they boasted a winning margin of at least five goals in seven of those matches.

The most pressing question is whether anyone at Red Star beyond those accused knew of the bet and whether players or coaches took part in the defeat to PSG with knowledge of the potential money-making scheme.