According to a statement from the organization, the decision is due to a “material error in the draw”, caused by a “technical problem.”
The European Union of Football Associations (UEFA) canceled the draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League on December 13, shortly after announcing the results.
According to a statement from the organization, the decision is due to a “material error in the draw”, caused by a “technical problem with the ‘software’ of an external service provider that gives instructions to the officials about the teams that can play against each other.”
At the same time, UEFA announced that the draw will be “fully repeated” today at 15:00 Central European Time (14:00 GMT).
This failure caused inconsistencies when it came to “give instructions” to the officials about the teams they can face. According to Sky Sports, that mainly affected the choice of potential opponents of the Atlético de Madrid, one of the 16 classified to that phase of the tournament, since the Manchester United he was not included in that group.
UEFA regulations state that teams that met in the group stage will not be able to do so in the round of 16. In this order of ideas, both teams had to share the same bowl in the draw. On the other hand, Liverpool, who did face the club led by Diego Simeone, appeared as a possible rival.
