After an error, UEFA will repeat the draw for the Champions League round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 of the Champions League will be repeated in full at 3:00 p.m. (9:00 a.m. in Ecuador) after the problems that arose in the extraction of the balls.

“Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that tells officials which teams are eligible to play each other, a material error occurred in the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League. UEFA. As a consequence, the draw has been declared void and will be redone in its entirety at 3:00 pm CET, “UEFA reported in a statement.

The problem arose when, after Villarreal’s ball left, former Russian player Andrey Arshavin took Manchester United’s as a rival, when both teams could not face each other, which had already been measured in the group stage. Later it happened similar with the one of the Athletic one of Madrid.

Mistakes had been made in the choice of balls for the hypothetical rivals, a task that fell to Michael Heselschwerdt, director of club competitions, while Giorgio Marchetti, deputy general secretary, was the one who took the second group.

This ‘mishap’ led to complaints from numerous teams. Among them, Atlético de Madrid reported shortly after that they were “in talks with UEFA to ask for explanations and a solution after the mistakes made in the round of 16 draw.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid was betting that, in the event of a repetition, the validity of their confrontation would be maintained, since it was the first to leave, just before Villarreal-Manchester City.

Finally, UEFA has decided to repeat the draw starting at 15:00. (D)