Not showing off, but I have won the Cup by beating stronger teams or close to equal quality teams from 1-2 levels above (no manipulation or draw fooling used; just to tell you that it is possible to win it), but yes, opponents from 3 or more levels higher is too much, especially if they are active.
I never manipulated or fooled draws as such, and yet I still won a lot, including 2 Cups and went into several semi-finals and finals. Some members of my 'late' association also won the Cup without manipulation as such. This is more likely to be an achievement compared than those that did it with manipulation.
I don't like those manipulation or draw fooling at all, but it is understandable why some people do it. But here, you cannot say that he manipulated the draw unless there were (or still are) 1-2 star players in his team. If ever you face someone that manipulated the draw, then partly blame the people who showed him how to do it and also partly blame the company for not having fixed this exploit.