An unprecedented technical error left UEFA's Deputy Secretary General, Giorgio Marchetti, visibly shaken after a team was overlooked during the draw for the Champions League on Monday. In an unusual incident, the federation mistakenly placed the teams in the wrong pot, resulting in a "prohibited" matchup between two teams that should not meet according to the rules. Furthermore, they ignored placing a ball for Manchester United when drawing the team to face Atlético Madrid.
Sources confirmed that the draw will be rescheduled later on Monday after UEFA acknowledged the significant error. UEFA stated in a release: "Following a technical issue with an external program guiding officials to the eligible teams to play each other, an error occurred in the draw." The statement confirmed that the draw was deemed "invalid" and will be completely redone on Monday afternoon.
What Happened?
After drawing the name of the Spanish club Villarreal, guest Andrey Arshavin proceeded to draw the name of English club Manchester United, following the officials' guidance. This matchup is "prohibited" because the two teams were in the same group in the first round, meaning Manchester United’s placement in the pot was incorrect. Following this strange situation, bewildered officials quickly returned Manchester United's ball to the other pot and drew a new name, Manchester City, which was then matched against Villarreal. Shortly thereafter, the draw placed Manchester United against French club Paris Saint-Germain in a highly anticipated clash, prompting the "Red Devils" management to contact UEFA, demanding a re-draw that "did not do them justice."
A Second Mistake
The errors continued during the draw when the name of Spanish club Atlético Madrid was drawn, as Manchester United's name was not placed in the pot for potential opponents. Consequently, Atlético Madrid was matched against Bayern Munich, while the oversight of Manchester United resulted in them facing Paris Saint-Germain.
Will the draw be redone?
Media outlets are reporting news about the possibility of a re-draw for the Round of 16 of the Champions League, following some technical errors during the draw. The Athletic reported that there was a tense atmosphere in the draw hall at UEFA's headquarters, as officials from Manchester United and other clubs contacted the federation to decide on a re-draw.
