August 28 – UEFA held the draw for the Champions League league stage last night and there was not a politician in sight. Off-stage there was noise from Europe’s political elite of the threat to the European sports model of playing league fixtures overseas, but this draw was about football. FIFA take note.
On stage at the Grimaldi Forum on Monte Carlo the international club seasons of the world’s biggest clubs in its biggest club competition were being revealed as the continent warmed up for the biggest prize in club football.
Top line stories from the draw were Real Madrid playing Liverpool for the second Champions League season in succession. Last term Trent Alexander Arnold was playing for Liverpool, this year he will return to Anfield in Real Madrid’s colours.
Real Madrid will also face another old English foe in the form of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Old rivalries renewed and new scripts screaming to be written.
One of them is the return of another of the game’s superstars to a former home where he had left an indelible mark. Kevin De Bryune will be in Napoli’s colours for their visit to Manchester.
As the draw threaded together the early storylines of the 71st edition of UEFA’s blue riband club competition, the anticipation and excitement of watching the giant clubs of the modern game matched up was palpable.
The comparison with the debacle of FIFA’s ridiculous Club World Cup draw was stark – the tournament itself wasn’t much better than the ridiculousness of its opening proposition.
The football world was then forced to embrace the recurring theme of the Trump-Infantino love-in played out across a much-promoted competition all summer that was funded by a Saudi Arabian bail-out that ultimately will do no-one – and certainly not this version of FIFA -any football favours.
Football at times seemed to be immaterial as the global wannabees celebrated their own celebrity at the expense of the world game. Seldom has football been so obsequiously lost.
In an hour and 15 minutes UEFA turned that round, delivering a masterclass reminder that top tier international football and the drama of the draw itself is still about football. This was football people doing what they do most days of the year – delivering football.
From the moment the choir opened the draw with the instantly recognisable and iconic UCL anthem, the mood and tone was set. Serious football in a meaningful, tried, tested, reworked and successful environment.
Before the draw was conducted there was time for a special presentation to Chelsea who with their win in the Conference League last season became the first club to win all three of UEFA’s club competitions. No mention was made of their club World Cup, Chelsea have even airbrushed out pictures of Trump at the team trophy (read cheque) lift. UEFA have airbrushed it out of history.
Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was presented with the President’s Award that began with a video segment that showed that even the stern outward face of UEFA has a sense of humour. The punchline came at the end with Ibrahimovic received the award from Ceferin. He stayed on stage to draw balls, push buttons and bring more human interaction to what is now a digital process.
This was the second time UEFA have run the leagues format for its competition.
The 36 teams were placed in four pots. Pot 1 had PSG at its head as the reigning champion, and the next 8 qualified teams ranked by their UEFA ranking coefficient. The draw saw two random teams from each pot. Teams from same federation could not be drawn against each other and they could only face a maximium of two teams from any other national association.
Current champions PSG, who had only finished 15th in the league stage forcing them into a play-off qualification for the last 16 last season, were handed one of the toughest league stage draws.
They will have to overcome a fired up Bayern Munich, a bloodthirsty Barcelona, Atalanta, and Bayer Leverkusen, as well a reinvented Spurs and a full-on Newcastle in an away trip to the St James cauldron of emotion.
Bayern Munich will also face early Premier League leaders Chelsea and Arsenal.
Real Madrid, who consider themselves the royalty in European competition, will face Liverpool and Manchester City as well as tricky opponents in Benfica and Marseilles. They also have a long trip to Kazhakstan’ Kairat Almaty.
Kairat Almaty were the bottom ranked team in the UEFA club coefficient and face a baptism of fire in their Champions League debut. As well as Real Madrid they will play Inter Milan, Arsenal, Olympiacos, and Sporting. Playing Pafos and Copenhagen may provide some relief for what will be a season to remember for their fans.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1756455652labto1756455652ofdlr1756455652owedi1756455652sni@n1756455652osloh1756455652cin.l1756455652uap1756455652
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