PSG Get Real, Man Unt vs. Atletico in Revised Champions League Last-16 Draw

UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)
UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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PSG Get Real, Man Unt vs. Atletico in Revised Champions League Last-16 Draw

UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)
UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)

Paris St Germain will face Real Madrid in a titanic clash in the last 16 of the Champions League while Manchester United take on Atletico Madrid after UEFA declared the original draw void due to a technical error in the process on Monday.

Earlier, United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams had already faced each other in the group stage while the Premier League side's ball was not added to the bowl as a potential opponent for Atletico Madrid.

United were eventually drawn with PSG, Real drew Benfica, while Atletico drew Bayern Munich before the draw was scrapped after the Spanish side complained and UEFA admitted the error caused by a "technical problem with the software".

"It was surprising, unfortunate and very difficult to understand what happened... Millions of people were waiting for the draw," Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno told the club's television channel.

"Having said that, we go into this tie with a lot of excitement... We're also aware of the difficulties, with the quality of players (PSG) have. We believe the team will play two great games, they'll be fantastic for football."

PSG's initial draw with United was a much anticipated battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi -- the competition's two top goal scorers and winners of 12 of the last 13 Ballon d'Or awards, with Messi leading 7-5 after victory in 2021.

Instead, Messi will now face a familiar opponent in Real Madrid, against whom he has scored 26 times in all competitions when he was at Barcelona.

Real Madrid had also attempted to prise French forward Kylian Mbappe from PSG in the close season but ultimately failed after the Ligue 1 side rejected their bids.

United's Ronaldo, meanwhile, will relish a tie against Spanish champions Atletico having scored 25 goals against them for Real and Juventus.

'They had to do it again'

Liverpool take on Inter Milan with another trip to the San Siro after Juergen Klopp's side beat AC Milan twice in the group stage.

"I had to wait 54 years to play at the San Siro for the first time... and now it'll be twice in three months, so that's good news," Klopp told the Liverpool website.

"Of course, it is a tough draw, definitely. They are the league leaders in Italy; a good team in a good moment."

Klopp added UEFA did the right thing in redoing the draw.

"I saw it live and I thought, 'You cannot let it stand like this, there's no chance.' Definitely, they had to do it again."

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola also agreed a redraw was the right course of action.

"I think it's fair," he said. "It was a mistake and these kind of things sometimes happen... (a redraw) makes sense so there are no suspicions."

Last year's runners-up City face Sporting Lisbon while Juventus, who topped their group above Chelsea, face Villarreal.

Holders Chelsea will face French champions Lille, just as they were drawn in the original draw, while six-times champions Bayern Munich will now face RB Salzburg -- the first Austrian side to qualify for the knockout stages.

Benfica will now play high-flying Ajax Amsterdam who impressed in the group stage by winning all six matches.

UEFA also experienced technical issues while conducting the third-tier Conference League draw later.

The botched process was reminiscent of the 1982 World Cup draw where then-FIFA general secretary Sepp Blatter attempted to prevent any of the four South American qualifiers from being placed in the same group.

However, FIFA did not stick to the procedure they had outlined and placed teams drawn in the wrong groups, leading to confusion among those assembled at the Madrid venue.

One of the spinning cages used to mix the balls also broke down during the redraw and caused further embarrassment.



Frank Insists Spurs Owners Are ‘Super Committed’

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
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Frank Insists Spurs Owners Are ‘Super Committed’

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)

Thomas Frank said Tottenham's much-maligned owners are "super committed" to the club despite their struggle to make signings during the January transfer window.

Spurs will face one of the targets they missed out on this weekend when Manchester City arrive in north London with Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo in their ranks.

Frank revealed the former Bournemouth star had been one of Tottenham's top targets before he decided to join City in a £65 million ($89 million) deal this month.

With the window shutting on Monday, Tottenham's only major signing is England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, while last season's leading scorer Brennan Johnson has been sold to Crystal Palace.

Languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, they have also lost James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall to longer-term injuries.

But Frank rejected claims that majority owner ENIC, an investment group run by the Lewis family trust, is not committed enough to Tottenham.

"I can promise that the Lewis family is super committed to this project. They want to do everything and I would go against my rule, hopefully only once, that there's no doubt it's clear that the club wanted to sign Semenyo," he said.

"They did everything. I think that's a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed."

Frank has been under intense pressure in his first season after arriving from Brentford, though he led Tottenham into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Told that a protest against the owners is planned by fan group "Change for Tottenham" before and during the City game on Sunday, Frank said they should appreciate the difficulties of the transfer window.

Referring to the "Football Manager" video game, he said: "The fans just want the best for the club. Just like I want.

"The owners, the staff, the players, everyone wants the best for the club, but I also think it's fair to say that the transfer window is not Football Manager, unfortunately.

"It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring. It is very difficult the transfer market. It's an art, it's craftsmanship."


Hail Toyota International Baja Rally Begins 2026 Edition with 414-Kilometer Stage

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
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Hail Toyota International Baja Rally Begins 2026 Edition with 414-Kilometer Stage

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA

The first main stage of the 2026 Hail Toyota International Baja Rally kicked off Friday north of Hail, featuring 93 competitors across multiple racing categories and covering a total distance of 414 kilometers, including a challenging 242-kilometer special stage.

This edition of the rally is a high-stakes event, serving as a pivotal round for five major championships: FIA World Baja Cup, FIA Middle East Baja Cup, FIM Bajas World Cup, FIM Asia Baja Cup, and Saudi Toyota Championship Rallies, SPA reported.

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying, attracting international talent and elite machinery to the Kingdom’s rugged terrain.


Alcaraz and Djokovic to Meet in Australian Open Final after Epic Semifinal Wins

 Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
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Alcaraz and Djokovic to Meet in Australian Open Final after Epic Semifinal Wins

 Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in the Australian Open final after each came through epic, momentum-swinging, five-set semifinals on Friday.

Top-ranked Alcaraz fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon and, 5 hours and 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open, The AP news reported.

That pushed the start of Djokovic's match against defending champion Jannik Sinner back a couple of hours and the 24-time major winner finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.

Djokovic is into his 11th Australian Open final after ending his streak of semifinal exits at four consecutive majors.

Alcaraz is into his first title match at Melbourne Park, and aiming to be the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.