UEFA has decided a new draw for the eighth final of the Champions League. The original draw was found to have made some mistakes, which UEFA blamed on “a technical problem with a third-party service provider’s software instructing officials which teams to meet.” The new draw will take place from this afternoon at 3 p.m.
The first mistake was revealed during the draw: Manchester United were linked to Villarreal, but the two clubs were unable to meet as they already played each other in the group stage. Then another ball was taken, after which Manchester City came forward as an opponent for Villarreal.
It didn’t stop there, because the Manchester United ball was not involved in the draw for Atlético Madrid. This made it impossible for United to play Atlético, while according to the rules it should have been. The Liverpool ball was involved in the draw, while the Reds could not draw against Atlético (because they were in the group together). It then turned out that Real Madrid’s ball was involved in the draw for Villarreal, while two clubs from the same country cannot compete against each other.
Ajax was linked to Internazionale in the draw, but that confrontation is therefore off the table. The team from Amsterdam can draw again from 3 p.m. against Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Chelsea, Internazionale, Paris Saint-Germain, Red Bull Salzburg and Villarreal. Sporting Portugal is not an option, because the Portuguese champion already played against Ajax in the group stage.