UEFA Champions League: 4 most controversial finals of all time

#1 Juventus vs Ajax - 1996 Champions League final

A still from the final in 1996

The last time Juventus won the Champions League, it was tainted with doubts of doping which led to a full-blown scandal. The final was played between Marcelo Lippi's Juventus and Louis van Gaal's Ajax. Juventus went on to win the match on penalties as the game was tied 1-1 after extra time.

The Dutch players were shocked to see the intensity of Juventus players as one of Ajax players, Finidi George, famously said, “Normally a player can do that maybe for 20 minutes. When you can do that for 90, 120 minutes, and at the end of the season, it is not normal.”

The allegations were proved when this matter went on trial in 2004 and Juventus club doctor, Riccardo Agricola, was sent to jail for providing players with performance-enhancing drugs. Though the players have maintained innocence over this issue, 20 years have passed but that team of Ajax still feel hard done by the doping incident.

Juventus players were labelled as cheats by the world media as despite winning the Champions League against a great Ajax side, they never got the recognition any champion before them (other than Marseille) received.