Real Madrid go from Benfica to PSG in UCL draw
Florentino Perez and Real Madrid have been left livid by proceedings at the Champions League draw on Monday morning, with the club incensed at seeing the initial pairing with Benfica being disregarded and turned into a two-legged tie with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Parisian side were initially drawn against Manchester United, however scandal overtook proceedings in Nyon as it appeared that United's ball wasn't correctly included in the draw for Atletico Madrid's fixture, despite being eligible.
This mistake called the whole legitimacy of the draw into question and a decision was made for the procedure to restart later in the afternoon once the Europa League and Europa Conference League draws were completed.
Perez immediately got to work, with reports suggesting that he had lobbied for the draw to restart only involving the teams who had been impacted by the error, which would have seen the tie against Benfica stand.
Alas, UEFA opted not to do that and Los Merengues were paired with one of the favourites for the trophy in the form of Mauricio Pochettino's charges.
"It is surprising, regrettable and difficult to understand," explained Emilio Butragueno, the club's director of institutional relations.
The anger within the walls of the Madrid club hasn't yet subsided, although it's not clear whether or not an official complaint over the entire process will be made.
Real Madrid are understandably frustrated, they now have go against Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and possibly even Neymar, whilst Sergio Ramos will make his return to the Spanish capital.
For both clubs this draw is far from deal, with relations between the two parties having soured considerably within the last 12 months.
After treating the oil-rich club with kid-gloves for years, Perez alienated the French giants not only with his involvement in the European Super League plans but also with the club's summer pursuit of Mbappe, which is likely to lead to a free transfer next summer.
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