BREAKING: UEFA announce Champions League draw will be redone after material error
UEFA have confirmed that they will repeat the Champions League round of 16 draw after making major mistakes during the ceremony.
UEFA held the draw for round 16 of the Champions League today. The event saw some mouth-watering fixtures being lined up for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Manchester United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), setting up a clash between arch-rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Atletico Madrid were also set to face Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in what could have been another exciting tie.
However, fans and journalists were quick to notice major botches in the draw that took place at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland. The organisers are understood to have made three major mistakes during the event.
🚨| Three mistakes were made during the #UCL draw:
👉 MU's ball shot against Villarreal (clubs in the same group).
👉 The Liverpool ball included in the pot of Atlético (clubs in the same group).
👉 The ball of MU absent from the pot of Atlético.
@Bruno_Constant #rmalive
Manchester United were added to the pot for Villarreal's draw despite facing them in the group stages of the competition. Similarly, Liverpool were added to the pot for Atletico Madrid's draw despite the two sides progressing from the same group.
Manchester United's ball was also excluded from the pot for Atletico Madrid's draw for no apparent reason. Major mistakes during the round of 16 draw sparked a controversy during the draw.
Many believed UEFA rigged the draw to purposefully pit Manchester United against PSG. Clubs were also left confused and demanded clarification from the authority.
Several clubs also reportedly complained about the botched draw and want it to be done again. UEFA have now admitted their mistake and confirmed that the draw will be conducted again.
Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other, a material error occurred in the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
More to follow on Sportskeeda.