Real Madrid label Champions League last-16 redraw a 'scandal' before landing Messi's Paris Saint-Germain side
Real Madrid label Champions League last-16 redraw a 'scandal' before landing Messi's Paris Saint-Germain side.
The Blancos were initially pitted against Benfica, but the draw was declared null and void after two technical errors and they eventually got PSG
The draw for the first knockout stage of Europe's elite competition took place in Nyon on Monday morning, with Madrid initially pitted against Portuguese giants Benfica.
The controversial event could strain relations between Madrid and UEFA even further following the club's involvement in the European Super League alongside Juventus and Barcelona, with that project still not completely dead in the water despite the withdrawal of nine of the other founding clubs.
Seven other ties were also confirmed as usual, but the ceremony was marred by technical issues and the decision was eventually taken for the draw to be redone, where Madrid were then paired with Paris Saint-Germain.
What happened?
The first problem occurred when Manchester United were drawn against Villarreal, despite the fact that two teams from the same group are not allowed to meet in the round of 16.
The mistake was picked up and United's number was pulled out of the box again, with Paris Saint-Germain drawn as their new opponents while Villarreal went on to get Manchester City.
The drama didn't stop there, though, as the Red Devils were left out of the draw when Atletico Madrid were called, with UEFA officials failing to spot the fault.
The Spanish giants drew Bayern Munich but asked European football's governing body for clarity after all the ties were confirmed, and a redraw subsequently took place.
Madrid's reaction
GOAL can reveal that Madrid did not take kindly to the decision, having seen the technical problems emerge after their tie with Benfica was confirmed.
Santiago Bernabeu officials felt that the tie should have been unaffected and club president Florentino Perez made it clear that he was opposed to a redraw as soon as the proposal was made.
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