UEFA has been forced to order a re-run of the draw for this season’s Champions League last 16 after a botched ceremony in Switzerland – and some fans pointed the finger at Russian legend Andrey Arshavin.
Monday’s draw at UEFA HQ in Nyon appeared to throw up some intriguing ties – not least Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo being paired with Lionel Messi’s PSG.
But the dust had yet to settle before fans and pundits were crying foul across social media about an apparent error in the draw procedure.
The mistake centered on Manchester United, who were initially placed with Villarreal.
However, as the two teams met in the group stage, they were not eligible to face each other in the last 16.
Manchester City were then drawn to play Villarreal instead, with Atletico Madrid next popping up.
The problem, though, was that Manchester United had not been returned to the pot of eligible teams to play Atletico, when in reality they should have been.
Instead, United ended up appearing in the last tie of the draw against French giants PSG.
It definitely looks like #mufc’s ball – in the second pot from the right, back row – was not included in the Atletico Madrid draw. pic.twitter.com/ubxQHdjkQV
Explaining the error, UEFA laid the blame at the door of an external software provider while announcing a re-run for later on Monday.
“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,” said the governing body.
As a result of this, the draw has been declared void and will be entirely redone at 1500 CET.
I understand everyones anger though. If UEFA have any intergrity (they dont). They will do a re-draw. Arshavin should be led to the nearest police station too.
footballers are just treated like robots by the governing bodies these days. fancy referring to Arshavin as an external service provider with a software issue. poor. https://t.co/FSBXHi4gbA
Arshavin, 40, was at the draw as a representative of St. Petersburg, where this season’s final will be held.
“People love football [in St. Petersburg], it’s a big event for our city, everyone dreams of holding such a big event,” Arshavin had said of his hometown, which hosts the final at the Gazprom Arena on May 28.
Arshavin also revealed that his fondest Champions League memory as player had been scoring a late winner for Arsenal in their 2011 last-16 first-leg win over Barcelona.
Defending champions Chelsea were again handed a meeting with French team Lille in a re-run of the Champions League last 16 draw in Switzerland, which also produced a clash between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
The ceremony had initially taken place earlier on Monday but an error involving Manchester United meant that UEFA ordered the draw to be repeated.
The second time around, defending champions Chelsea were placed with French team Lille – exactly the same tie as they had been given in the voided first draw.
Elsewhere, Manchester United, who had originally been paired with Paris Saint-Germain, were given a tie against Atletico Madrid in the repeated draw.
PSG and Lionel Messi were given a blockbuster meeting with record 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid.
FULL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 DRAW
FC Salzburg (Austria) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)
Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs Manchester City (England)
Benfica (Portugal) vs Ajax (Netherlands)
Chelsea (England) vs Lille (France)
Atletico Madrid (Spain) vs Manchester United (England)
Villarreal (Spain) vs Juventus (Italy)
Inter Milan (Italy) vs Liverpool (England)
Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs Real Madrid
The ties will take place across two legs, the first of which will be spread across February 15, 16, 22 and 23. The return legs will be played on March 8, 9, 15 and 16.
The seeded teams (all group winners) will be away for the first legs and play the second legs at home.
A rule change for the knockout stages means that the away-goals rule is no longer in force. Any ties that are level after 180 minutes across two legs will go to extra-time and then potentially penalties.
This season’s Champions League final will be held in St. Petersburg on May 28 at the 68,000-seater Gazprom Arena, which is home to Russian champions Zenit.
Having initially been paired with Benfica in the first draw on Monday, Real Madrid will likely be the most aggrieved with the revised version as they will now play a star-studded PSG containing former Barcelona nemesis Messi.
Instead of having to contend with Messi and Co, Cristiano Ronaldo and his Manchester United teammates will play Diego Simeone’s Atletico.
Elsewhere, last season’s beaten finalists Manchester City will be favored to overcome Sporting Lisbon, while German giants Bayern will also be strongly fancied to steamroll Austrian rivals Salzburg.
Six-time winners Liverpool emerged from their group stage campaign with six wins from six, and will be tipped to overcome Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Explaining the error, UEFA later laid the blame at the door of an external software provider.
“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,” said the governing body.
Monday’s re-run will leave some teams happier with their lot, but others – most notably Real Madrid – appear to be much worse off than they were.
There were reports that Real had tried to convince UEFA to keep their original draw with Benfica intact before the re-run, as the mistake with Manchester United had only come afterwards.
In the end, the Bernabeu giants were included in the repeated draw and appear to have a much trickier assignment on their hands against Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG come February and March.
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has angrily called out fellow Ukrainian ring star Vasiliy Lomachenko for not posing with the country’s flag after his victory in New York at the weekend.
Lomachenko earned a unanimous decision victory over Ghana’s Richard Commey in their lightweight WBO inter-continental title fight at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, putting in an impressive performance which on several occasions included the Ukrainian imploring his rival’s corner to step in and prevent more damage for their man.
The display from ‘Loma’ earned widespread praise – but one gesture by the boxer after the fight did not go down well with some of his countrymen.
As he celebrated, Lomachenko was seen posing with the flag of his hometown of Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy draped across his shoulders, rather than that of Ukraine.
That drew an angry tweet (in English) from former heavyweight king Klitschko.
“Wikipedia: ‘Patriotism or national pride is the feeling of love, devotion and sense of attachment to a homeland. The sentiment is a shared oneness among the people.’ [Vasiliy Lomachenko] won, congrats, but did he represent the Country with his NON use of the Country’s flag? WFT,” tweeted the retired 45-year-old.
Wikipedia: “Patriotism or national pride is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to a homeland. The sentiment is a shared oneness among the people.” @VasylLomachenko won, congrats, but did he represent the Country with his NON use of his Country’s flag? WTF pic.twitter.com/RoPdl4DdTc
Despite winning two Olympic gold medals for Ukraine and flying the flag on previous occasions, it’s not the first time Lomachenko has been accused of a lack of patriotism.
For some in his homeland, Lomachenko is the wrong kind of Orthodox Christian as he follows a branch of the religion which remains loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate, rather than Kiev.
The boxer 33, caused outrage last year when he shared a religious video on Instagram which appeared to feature Russian special forces.
Fellow Ukrainian boxing great Oleksandr Usyk has faced similar slurs over his religious affiliations and refusal to comment on the status of Crimea.
Last year, both boxers appeared in a religious film, ‘Hello, Brother! Christ has risen!’, in which they spoke about the importance of their beliefs.
Lomachenko emphasized that he considers Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians as one and the same people.
The pair were hit with a backlash, being added to the infamous ‘Myrotvorets’ list in Ukraine of supposed ‘enemies of the state’.
But after the latest accusations leveled at Lomachenko, some accused Klitschko of hypocrisy.
“You and your brother fought once each in the Ukraine in 116 fights, I wouldn’t call that a sense of devotion or attachment either,” read one reply.
“Great champ [Klitschko], but no one cares about your politics,” wrote another. “Nobody is obligated to wear any flags and nobody is obligated to display any ‘patriotism’.”
“For a guy with PhD you shouldn’t be referencing Wikipedia my friend,” joked another.
“The flag he is carrying is that of his hometown!” said another fan in defense of Lomachenko.
“Nothing pro-Russia about it. I think Lom got tired of getting sh*t on by certain political forces in the Ukraine [sic] and this was his way to troll them and say he doesn’t give a sh*t anymore,” argued another.
“The greatest boxer of all time, Klitschko, the brother of the patriot who destroyed Kiev, decided to use English to talk about patriotism,” scorned Ukrainian journalist Anatoliy Shariy, referring to Wladimir Klitschko’s politician brother, Vitali.
Others defended Klitschko, with one person writing: “It would be different if it was an American fighting in America represented by his city’s flag. And not like anyone knew what flag it was, so why not represent your national flag? Loma isn’t a patriot and there’s been many examples to support this.”
Political squabbles aside, Lomachenko still harbors hopes of unifying all four major titles at lightweight – potentially starting with Australian champion George Kambosos Jr, who holds the WBA (super), IBF, WBO and The Ring belts after his shock victory over Teofimo Lopez last month.
Lomachenko believes he should be next up for a shot at George Kambosos' undisputed lightweight title
Manchester United have temporarily halted first-team operations at their training base as the club grapples with an outbreak of Covid-19. The team’s Premier League meeting with Brentford on Tuesday could be canceled.
“Manchester United can confirm that following PCR test confirmation of yesterday’s positive LFT Covid-19 cases among the first team staff and players, the decision has been taken to close down first team operations at the Carrington Training Complex for 24 hours, to minimise risk of any further infection,” the club said in a statement.
The Old Trafford giants did not name those who had tested positive, but said they were “isolating per Premier League protocols.”
“Given cancellation of training and disruption to the squad, and with the health of players and staff the priority, the Club is in discussion with the Premier League whether it is safe for Tuesday’s fixture against Brentford to continue, both from a Covid infection and player preparation perspective,” it added.
“Team and staff travel to London will be deferred pending the result of that discussion.”
An official update following positive COVID-19 tests at the club.#MUFC
Reports emerged on Sunday that United were facing a spate of Covid cases just hours after their Premier League game at Norwich, where they earned a 1-0 win thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.
They are not the only Premier League club to be affected by the virus as teams approach a traditionally congested fixture list during the festive period.
Tottenham Hotspur were forced to cancel their UEFA Europa Conference League match with Rennes last week after an outbreak in the Spurs squad.
Manager Antonio Conte confirmed 13 positive cases at the club, including eight players and the rest among staff.
The result of that match is now in the hands of UEFA after it was deemed unfeasible to find a date for the rescheduled game.
Rennes are expected to be awarded a 3-0 win, meaning Spurs exit the competition, although both teams were in the draw for the knockout stages on Monday while the matter is resolved.
Tottenham’s Premier League fixture with Brighton scheduled for last Sunday was also postponed.
If Julianna Pena’s seismic upset win against Amanda Nunes taught us anything it is that in MMA, the bigger they come, the harder they fall – and this has been a lesson learned the hard way by several fighters down the years.
There’s a well-worn saying in mixed martial arts: if you don’t have a loss on your record, then you’re night fighting the right level of competition.
While supporters of Khabib Nurmagomedov might have their issues with statements such as this, it has remained an almost inescapable truth for practically every other fighter to have stepped into a cage over the years.
Nunes, the UFC’s first-ever female double champ, experienced this for herself against Pena last weekend at UFC 269 as she shockingly surrendered her bantamweight crown to her underdog opponent in Las Vegas.
The upset is being considered by many as the biggest seen in the Octagon in some time, and possibly ever – but it is far from the only seismic shock to hit MMA, with several others rocking the sport throughout its short history.
MATT SERRA VS. GEORGES ST-PIERRE – UFC 69, APRIL 2007
It wasn’t supposed to go down like this.
St-Pierre, six months or so removed from what seemed to be the realization of his destiny when he dethroned dominant UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, was handed what many saw as a ‘gimme’ fight against Serra, a journeyman fighter and former lightweight who had earned the opportunity by outlasting several other veterans on a season of the UFC’s reality show ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.
Instead, we got what is still hailed among the most shocking finishes to a fight in UFC history.
Serra, a prohibitive underdog against the outstanding St-Pierre, refused to bow to the oddsmakers and immediately launched into a furious assault against the 170lbs champion.
GSP was floored on more than one occasion as Serra swarmed, with St-Pierre eventually tapping out due to strikes as the aggressive New Yorker unloaded an endless barrage of punishment on the grounded French-Canadian.
The result of the fight, and the manner in which it was achieved, is said to have compelled St-Pierre to forevermore adopt a more conservative strategy in his fights, but not before gained his revenge – and the world title – from Serra in their rematch a year later.
He would never lose another fight in his professional career before retiring a decade later.
HOLLY HOLM VS. RONDA ROUSEY – UFC 193, NOVEMBER 2015
MMA neophytes might not grasp exactly how big a star Ronda Rousey was throughout her four-year unbeaten run through Strikeforce and the UFC.
The former Olympic judoka finished each of her career wins, all but one of those coming inside the first round – and nine of them coming by armbar.
Her rapid ascent to the summit of the sport brought with it a selection of hot takes: her boxing is as good as anyone in the sport (it wasn’t), she could quite likely beat the male 135lbs champion (she almost certainly couldn’t), and she would never feel the sting of defeat as long as she remained an active fighter.
That last statement met a grisly end in Melbourne, Australia, in late 2015 when she faced fellow undefeated fighter and professional boxer Holly Holm – someone who the opening exchanges showed was vastly more comfortable on the feet.
The end, when it came as the result of a shuddering left high kick to the dome, was almost merciful, as if putting Rousey out of her misery and forever dispelling the narrative that female fighting had never seen as dominant a champion.
Rousey would also lose her next fight to Amanda Nunes before emerging in the pantomime world of WWE sometime later.
FABRICIO WERDUM VS. FEDOR EMELIANENKO – STRIKEFORCE: FEDOR VS. WERDUM, JUNE 2010
The evening of June 6, 2010, was thought by most to be just another chapter in the great Fedor Emelianenko’s legacy.
The dominant Russian heavyweight had, for almost a decade, defeated all comers and was unbeaten in 33 fights, save for a technical defeat due to a cut in a one-night tournament in late 2000.
Submission specialist Werdum was a test, many thought, but one that the great Fedor was certainly favored to pass. After all, the Brazilian submission ace had washed out of the UFC a couple of years prior after a mostly underwhelming 18 months with the organization.
But just 69 seconds into the contest, Fedor tapped out after being baited by Werdum into a tight triangle choke in what was the first true defeat of The Last Emperor’s glittering career… and it opened the door to two more immediate losses against Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson.
Emelianenko, now 45, has lost just two more times since that trio of defeats while winning nine times, including an October knockout of American Tim Johnson in Moscow.
NATE DIAZ VS. CONOR MCGREGOR – UFC 196, MARCH 2016
Nate Diaz declared that he wasn’t “surprised” after he handed Conor McGregor his shocking first UFC defeat just months after the Irishman had vanquished featherweight boogeyman Jose Aldo to claim his first of what would eventually become two world titles – but the rest of us sure were.
Nate Diaz shocks the world and finishes Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor pic.twitter.com/7ZYhBHJPbZ
McGregor moved up to the 170lbs division to take on Diaz on short notice after lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos withdrew from their scheduled bout due to injury, and was expected to breeze past the tough but beatable veteran.
Instead, McGregor tired himself out by emptying his glitzy box of striking tricks and found himself eventually enveloped in Diaz’s quicksand, a second-round rear-naked choke.
McGregor would go on to claim redemption the following August when he outpointed Diaz in what was a thrilling contest – but it was the Stockton fighter who first exposed the chinks in the Irishman’s armor all those years ago.
RANDY COUTURE VS. TIM SYLVIA – UFC 68, MARCH 2007
“Not bad for an old man” – Randy Couture
The UFC got its very own iteration of George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer in March 2007 when the 43-year-old former light heavyweight champion Couture emerged from retirement to put a five-round beating on then heavyweight kingpin Tim Sylvia, a fighter who was 23-2 at the time and stood some seven inches taller than Couture.
Randy dropped Tim with the FIRST punch he threw. I want you to listen to the crowd reaction. It’s possibly the loudest pop I've ever heard. The speakers sounded blown. Joe and Goldie’s volume might have been increased just so we could hear them. The moment was ELECTRIC. #UFC68pic.twitter.com/3Ju614d2hV
Couture’s comeback was bemoaned by many as sending a beloved former fighter to the slaughter. He had lost two of his prior three fights by crushing knockout to Chuck Liddell, so how was he going to be equipped in handling the power of a fighter who was both younger and bigger than him?
Quite well, as it turned out. Couture floored Sylvia with his opening salvo, an overhand right, and didn’t step off the gas for the remaining 24-and-a-half minutes of the fight to claim the UFC’s world heavyweight title.
Couture would go on to compete seven more times in the UFC before finally retiring at the age of 48 in 2011, but not before he well and truly made us reconsider the shelf life of a top fighter.
