ian1964 10,409 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Glasgow giants came within a whisker of reaching the inaugural Champions League final, missing out in somewhat controversial circumstances. A world away from their recent troubles, the 1992/93 season saw Rangers just one game away from the final of European club football's showpiece event. It was the first year in which the old European Cup had been rebranded the 'Champions League' and, in those days, it truly was restricted to domestic champions. The format saw the final eight clubs split into two groups of four, with the top teams in each mini-league qualifying for the final. Going into the final game, Rangers were level on points with Marseille. With current manager Ally McCoist then leading the Gers front line, a battle-hardened Rangers team were agonisingly pipped at the post, but not without controversy. Marseille went on to win the final 1-0, beating a brilliant AC Milan side in Munich, becoming the first French team to lift a European trophy in the process. Soon after the victory, however, it emerged that the club and their president Bernard Tapie had fixed a French league match involving Marseille six days before the final, allowing them to focus on the Milan game without fear of over-exerting themselves. The French side were subsequently stripped of their league crown, relegated to the second tier of French football and banned from the following year's Champions League, as well as the World Club Cup match in Tokyo (Milan took their place, losing to Sao Paolo). But they were not stripped of their Champions League win, despite suspicion being cast on the legitimacy of their European exploits, too. Rangers striker Mark Hateley has since claimed he was offered cash not to play against Marseille in the penultimate group match, when a win would have seen the Scottish side top the group with one game left. "It was a friend of a friend, who had got in touch via certain routes, basically asking me not to play," claimed Hateley. "He was not an agent I knew, but another agent had given him the number. It was a French-speaking person, offering me large sums of money not to play against Marseille." In the event, Hateley was banned from the match in Marseille after being sent off in the previous game, a 2-1 home win against Club Brugge. "I knew that something had gone off there," said Hateley. "It was a bitter pill to swallow." That same night, Marseille had increased their goal difference significantly by beating CSKA Moscow 6-0. It was a surprise scoreline, considering the Russians had earlier eliminated reigning European Cup holders Barcelona and drawn their home match with Marseille 1-1. The CSKA coach later made allegations that his players had been "got at", before withdrawing the claim, while there was also talk of drinks being spiked. Rangers bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on Munich by clinching a domestic treble, while their fans can look back on their Champions League adventure with pride, as well as a sense of what could have been. Two decades later, talkSPORT relives each round of the club's famous European journey... Full article below Read more at http://talksport.com/magazine/features/130424/robbed-why-rangers-could-have-been-first-champions-league-winners-195971#CKISL3cUclVoD4ei.99 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Still annoys me to this day. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buster. 4,808 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Those were nearly the days ! What strikes me now is that we can no longer seriously have aspirations to go that far. The dice are financially loaded and that's not even taking into consideration our 'situation'. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebear54 0 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Que sera, sera. To moan about it sounds like "always cheated never defeated" behaviour from them. We're too good for that. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgacus 8 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 That was in the days before the EPL Sky deal...that was the real game changer for our place in European football. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 We should have been finalists, whether we would have beaten Milan is another thing. But the levels of cheating going on their, I knew they had match fixed domestically but obviously they got to CSKA also. I was only 13 then, but still remember every match of the campaign clear as day 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,329 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 We had our chances away to Marseille. We didn't take them. Given that we were unable to beat CSKA, did the alleged bribery really make a difference? I do think what could have been, but bribery isn't involved in these thoughts. FWIW, given the type of team we had, I think we could have beaten Milan in the final if we had reached there. As an aside, listening to those about get married in the dinner thread takes me back to the fact that I couldn't go to the Marseille match as I had run out of cash as I was getting married and had been at all the other away games that season (apart from Leeds where we were not allowed). 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buster. 4,808 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 We had our chances away to Marseille. We didn't take them. Given that we were unable to beat CSKA, did the alleged bribery really make a difference? I do think what could have been, but bribery isn't involved in these thoughts. FWIW, given the type of team we had, I think we could have beaten Milan in the final if we had reached there. As an aside, listening to those about get married in the dinner thread takes me back to the fact that I couldn't go to the Marseille match as I had run out of cash as I was getting married and had been at all the other away games that season (apart from Leeds where we were not allowed). I agree with most of that. I remember at the time as the minutes ticked down in Marseille, urging Rangers forward and instinctively knowing that our real chance to finish top was to win the game. I have a hazy recollection of Peter Huistra bearing down on the penalty box but for it to come to naught. I was resigned to Marseille winning in Bruges. Had I been a betting man, I'd have lumped it on the French to help dull the then inevitable dissappointment. The other game that comes to mind was when we went to Bruges got a draw but should have won. They say quality makes a difference and as far as those two games in Belguim go, it went by the name of Alan Boksic. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimpy 0 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Hateley spoke about this last night when a bear asked him what the highs and lows of his career were. You could sense anger coming from him and he seems convinced his sending off against Bruge was part of the bribery. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buster. 4,808 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) .................................................... Edited May 11, 2014 by buster. double post 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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