“That didn’t feel right,” Neville says of the ‘fix’ claims for the FA Cup draw
GARY NEVILLE joked that Ian Wright’s FA Cup semi-final draw “didn’t feel right” after fans accused it of being “fixed”.
The draw took place at Old Trafford on Sunday, after Manchester United’s thrilling 4-3 win over Liverpool.
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The Red Devils played Championship side Coventry, while holders Manchester City were paired with Chelsea.
But the manner of the draw sent many fans into a frenzy as Wright selected the balls in front of Roy Keane and Graeme Souness in the studio.
They remained seated as Wright rummaged around in the famous velvet bag before showing the numbers to the camera.
And the viewers were not told in advance which song belonged to which team.
The casual atmosphere was a far cry from most draws, which usually take place in a much more formal setting.
Teams were also drawn directly from the bag rather than first being placed in a hat as is traditionally the case.
And Manchester United legend Neville spoke about the bizarre format when speaking to Arsenal icon Wright during the latest edition of Stick to football.
He said: “That didn’t feel right at the end, you pulled it out like a Marks and Spencer bag.”
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Lioness legend Jill Scott then wondered why “nobody laughed” about Wright’s comment about shaking his “ball sack.”
Before the ex-Gunners man replied: “Do you know how many people went crazy over that?
“It’s only four balls. I think people were a bit upset about the fact that we didn’t know who was one, two, three and four.
“But the most important thing is that they are so strict on ‘don’t look in the bag, make sure the bag is closed properly before you open it so you don’t look’.
“People end up saying, ‘What’s he doing the Stevie Wonder for?’ I wasn’t doing Stevie Wonder, I was just making sure I wasn’t looking in so much [moves his head away] and it looked like Stevie Wonder.
“But I didn’t want people to say, ‘Ah, that draw was wrong.’
“People still slaughtered you, but I thought it was a great draw.”
There is no evidence that claims the draw has been fixed.