UEFA Champions League: Olympique Lyonnais-Dynamo Zagreb Match Controversy

The Autorite De Regulation Des Jeux In Ligne (ARJEL) investigated the possibility that the UEFA Champions League match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and Dynamo Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia, may have been fixed.  

The news was reported in The Guardian in an article by Matt Scott and Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

ARJEL is the regulatory authority for online gambling in France that monitors any suspicious activity in matches.  The match between OL and Dynamo Zagreb was crucial for the possibilities of Holland's Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.

The results of the match were Dynamo Zagreb 1-7 OL, which motivated Ajax coach Frank De Boer to ask for an investigation.  The reason being that the victory eliminated Ajax from contention in the UEFA Champions League.

UEFA initiated their investigation into the controversial match in collaboration with ARJEL.  

The investigation by ARJEL and UEFA reviewed films of the match that show Dynamo Zagreb defender Domagoj Vida winking and giving a thumbs up to OL striker Bafetimbi Gomis.

The film footage showed Dynamo Zagreb goalie Ivan Kelava and Vida making mistakes that gave OL an advantage over their club.  After the match, a Croatian internet forum showed photos of Vida leaving a betting site with a slip.

The charges of irregularity in the match were angrily denied by both clubs while awaiting the results.

In the end, UEFA and ARJEL concluded that they did not find any irregularity in the match between OL and Dynamo Zagreb.

While the official reports revealed that all was clear, there are people who will think otherwise.  It remains to be seen whether the controversy will continue to grow or fade with time.