Champions League
Backwards! The draw must be repeated after a technical breakdown
Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich was delighted with an attractive opponent in the 16th round of the Champions League.
© Matthias Schrader / AB / Pixar Alliance
FC Bayern have only advanced from four Bundesliga clubs to the knockout stages of the Champions League. After the technical breakdown, the draw now has to be redone as announced by the UEFA.
After a few mistakes, the draw for the round of 16 games in the Champions League has to be repeated. According to the European Football Association, “there are technical issues with the external service provider’s software.” There will be another painting at 3 p.m. This means that FC Bayern’s lot is no longer valid.
German football champion FC Bayern Munich will actually face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League. That was the end of Monday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Neon. But there were technical issues with the draw practice. Manchester United, for example, were mistakenly assigned to FC Villarreal, although the Spaniards met with Ralph Ronnick’s new team on the board. This match could not have been drawn from a purely technical point of view if it had worked properly. Team opponents in the preliminary round and teams from the same countries will not be allowed to meet in the 16th round. After all, the crash was fixed during the draw and Villarreal was finally dragged to Manchester City.
Irregularities even if the drawing continues
But that’s not all: when Atletico Madrid finished second next in the group, Manchester United were wrongly excluded as potential rivals. Instead, Liverpool were in the pot, but they had already played against Atletico in the group stage. In the end, the Spaniards got FC Bayern as their opponent. Rangnick and Manchester United were then drawn as rivals of the excellent French club Paris Saint-Germain. The debate over whether the draw should stop or be repeated began quickly on social media. Shortly afterwards, the UEFA responded by announcing that the drawing of tickets for the Premier class was invalid.
Exact dates for the 16th round have not yet been set. 15 and 22./23. Scheduled for February, the second leg will take place on 8/9. And 15./16. March. The final will take place on May 28 in St. Petersburg.