Manchester United were eventually drawn against Paris Saint-Germain
(Picture: BT Sport / Uefa)Football fans united in anger on Wednesday after a “technical problem” meant the original Uefa Champions League Round of 16 draw was declared void.
Officials had to carry out the draw for a second time that afternoon after a tech issue with “the software of an external service provider” affected instructions “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. As a result of this, the draw has been declared void and will be entirely redone at 3pm CET,” Uefa said in a statement.
It came after Manchester United were initially drawn to play against Villarreal, despite having already played against the club in the group stages.
The United ball then appeared to be left out for the draw to take on Atletico Madrid, before the team was matched up with Paris St-Germain.
If the game actually happened, then titans Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi would face each other on the pitch.
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It was, however, voided, and it was fair to say that fans weren’t impressed, with Uefa facing allegations that the first draw was “rigged”:
UEFA when they get caught rigging the draw for a Ronaldo-Messi tie pic.twitter.com/IdytVj9GMs
— The Ginger Pele (@thegingerpele1) December 13, 2021
Uefa pic.twitter.com/g3RL9IifMv
— Orhan (@cikcikgribi) December 13, 2021
You absolute hooligans
— 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘼𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖 (@Utd__Agenda) December 13, 2021
we're moving to a more serious competition! pic.twitter.com/m1orMcqzGs
— MainManMané (@SheikhSadio) December 13, 2021
The best part is “external service provider”😂😂🙃🙃
— LynnettM. (@LynnetteMMC) December 13, 2021
“Following our poor attempt at cheating being caught on live TV, despite multiple rehearsals prior to the event, we have been forced to do a redraw. ”
— Ronaldo Burner (@ManUtd_Adi) December 13, 2021
There… fixed it for you.
— Faustò (@39otsuaF) December 13, 2021
“Technical error” pic.twitter.com/R3O1lRANXs
— Veddie (@veddie11) December 13, 2021
Someone explain in F1 terms?
— Evin Paul (@EvinPaulDaniel) December 13, 2021
Translation: We really wanted a Messi vs Ronaldo showdown and did everything possible to get it. Unfortunately, you guys caught it on camera and now we have no other option but to redo it and put the blame on technical errors.
— Red Marrow (@MedullaryRed) December 13, 2021
In football terms: we rigged the entire thing.
— Xav Salazar (@XavsFutbol) December 13, 2021
That external service provider right now… pic.twitter.com/hpYMIUnfnJ
— FootballFunnys (@FootballFunnnys) December 13, 2021
Simple terms: we wanted to rig but you caught us
— TC (@totalcristiano) December 13, 2021
That bloody software….. https://t.co/AveImVE4vY
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) December 13, 2021
Provided there weren’t any issues with an “external service provider” for the second time, then the official last-16 draw sees Manchester United now take on Atletico Madrid.
Meanwhile Paris St-Germain’s new opponent is Real Madrid.
The other pairings are:
- Liverpool vs Inter Milan
- Juventus vs Villareal
- Chelsea vs Lille
- Benfica vs Ajax
- Manchester City vs Sporting Lisbon
- Bayern Munich vs RB Salzburg
After that logistical nightmare, we think it’s ironic that Uefa weren’t really on the ball…
