Fans convinced Champions League last 16 draw is FIXED as Man Utd denied chance to play Atletico and end up with PSG

UEFA’S Champions League draw descended into farce after TWO massive balls-up that left Manchester United facing PSG in the last 16.

In an almighty mess that eventually forced Uefa to conduct a re-draw, United were initially left with Mauricio Pochettino’s team as their only possible opponents because of a spectacular double-blunder.

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United were the first of the four English sides to be picked out of the hat when they were paired with Villarreal.

That came after Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti told competitions chief Michael Heselschwert, in charge of putting the right balls in the pot: “Again from Spain, so they can be paired against all the other seven teams in the draw."

But that went against competition rules that prevent sides playing group opponents in the last 16.

Marchetti, realising the error, then intervened: “This is not possible because Manchester United were in the group.

“We need to draw another one. Manchester United played in the same group as Villarreal, so we need another team."

The redraw saw United’s neighbours Manchester City then drawn to play Unai Emery’s side.

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But things went from bad to worse - for both United and Uefa - when Atletico Madrid were pulled out as the home team for the first leg of the next tie.

Marchetti told Heselschwerdt: “We have all the possibilities except Liverpool, who were in the same group, and Manchester United who have already been drawn.”

The Uefa big-wig should have said City, rather then United.

But in any event, Heselschwerdt put Liverpool, Ajax, Lille, Juventus and Bayern Munich - whose ball was selected by former Arsenal star Andrei Arshavin - in the pot, and not United, who should have been there rather than the Anfield side.

With the other four ties then drawn out by the rules, it left only PSG and United left for the final tie.

Uefa initially had no intention of conducting a re-draw, but were forced to reconsider after realising the extent of their gaffe.

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