Manchester United have been dubbed the most hated team in football.
According to Sports Illustrated magazine, it is United's 1999 treble winners whom are the most disliked of their many triumphant incarnations, coming in as they do at No 10 on a survey of most hated sport teams.
Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering side are the only 'soccer' team to make an appearance on the list, nestling in the top 10 just ahead of the 1990 University of Miami [American] football side.
The magazine claims the manner of United's victory on that famous night in Barcelona merely intensified the feeling of disdain, coming as it did with two goals in stoppage time against a dominant Bayern Munich.
United's position on the Top 25 list seems out of place.
Joining them, and bizarrely eight places below, are the 1976 German women's Olympic swim team who romped to victory in 11 of the 13 races only to later be found guilty of excessive doping offences.
Elsewhere, the 1986 New York Mets baseball side, complete with the self-titled 'the Scum Bunch' (Jesse Orosco, Danny Heep, Doug Sisk), make an appearance, as do the 1972 Soviet Union Olympic basketball team for their controversial triumph over the US in the Munich final.
But topping the pile are University of Miami football team from 24 years ago. According to Sports Illustrated, the 1986 Hurricanes were caught up in "fights and fraud and alleged shoplifting and other unsavory shenanigans involving more than 40 players."
