Uefa to conduct Champions League last 16 draw again after 'technical problem'

Manchester United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal during ceremony on Monday

Uefa Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti at the Champions League round of 16 draw in Nyon on Monday, December 13, 2021. AFP

The Champions League last 16 draw will be done again after a technical error, Uefa said on Monday.

There was drama at the draw ceremony in Nyon. Manchester United were initially drawn to play Villarreal even though the English club’s name should not have been in that pot since the two advanced from the same group. Manchester City were then drawn to play the Spanish side instead.

Following the confusion which led to United being erroneously drawn to face Villarreal, and then left out of the potential opponents to face Atletico Madrid, Uefa declared the draw void and said it would be done again later in the day.

A statement said: "Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials 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 1500 CET."

According to the earlier draw, which is now void, Cristiano Ronaldo was set to resume his rivalry with Lionel Messi after Manchester United were handed a tough draw against Paris Saint-Germain.

Also, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich were drawn together, while title holders Chelsea were scheduled to take on French champions Lille.