UEFA will redo the draw for the eighth finals of the Champions League. During the draw at 12 noon, the European federation made a rare mistake, which prevented certain clubs from meeting. The new draw will be made at 3 p.m.
“The draw has been declared invalid and will be retaken at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon,” UEFA wrote in an official statement, calling the error a “technical problem”. Manchester United and Villarreal were linked, while those clubs were together in the group stage. After that, group mates Liverpool and Atlético Madrid were also in the same tube and Manchester United could not be linked to Atlético.
Several clubs soon submitted a request to draw lots again. Atlético, for example, demanded that it be redone. The Spaniards were linked to Bayern Munich. Villarreal, which would compete against Manchester City, also demanded action. Real Madrid, on the other hand, was satisfied with the draw. The record winner would meet Benfica.
All sixteen clubs are going back into the tube. That means that Ajax will also have a new opponent. The team from Amsterdam would initially compete against Inter.