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August 28 – European champions Paris Saint-Germain will renew their rivalry with Manchester City while last season’s runners-up Arsenal meet Real Madrid in blockbuster fixtures in the group stages of the Champions League. On the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Monaco, European club football’s season kick off battled for centre stage with the news that UEFA had filed discovery requests in US courts that could lead to criminal law suits against Gianni Infantino. UEFA has become masters of the quick fire draw. Unlike FIFA’s elongated, entertainment-driven World Cup draw in Washington DC last November, there were no Peace Prizes awarded, no sycophantic oozing over heads of state, and no Village People to round off a surreal morning with a curiously camp performance of YMCA for the US president. UEFA’s draw was all about the football and for this season’s Champions League kick off was headlined by former Arsenal star Thierry Henry whose button pushing handed his former club an eye-catching home tie against record European champions Real Madrid and a daunting away trip to Bayern Munich. Mikel Arteta’s team reached the final of the last season’s competition, but fell in heartbreaking fashion to the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain following a penalty shoutout. But it was also a measure of how Arsenal have grown during Arteta’s reign. Two seasons ago, in a memorable quarter-final, featuring a Declan Rice brace, they defeated Madrid 3-0. Arsenal’s other opponents will be Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Sabah (from Azerbaijan and new to the UCL this season), Napoli, Slavia Prague and Real Betis. PSG, going for a three-peat and having already banked the Super Cup in their trophy cabinet, will play Abu-Dhabi owned Manchester City. The English club might have won Europe’s Premier club competition before PSG, but the Parisians impressively retained their title last season. They will among others also play Aston Villa, AS Roma and debutants FC Como in the league stages. The ceremony saw the 36 teams divided into four pots. The first pot included the European champions and the first qualified clubs based on UEFA’s club coefficient. It’s the thrid season that the Champions League will be played in a league format with all 36 participants featuring in eight matches against eight different clubs. This season, Austria’s LASK, Norway’s Viking, Italy’s Como and Azerbaijan’s Sabah FC will debut in the competitions. Como, and manager Cesc Fabregas, who have enjoyed a steep ascent in Italy, were rewarded with ties against FC Barcelona and PSG. Sabah were rewarded with a tie against Manchester United, who return to the competition. United will face Bayern Munich, AS Roma, RB Leipzig, Sabah, Atlético Madrid, Sporting and Villarreal. The draw had commenced with PSG president and UEFA executive committee member Nasser Al Khelaifi picking up UEFA’s first Respect Award on behalf of Brazilian defender and PSG club captain Marquinhos. Thierry Henry received the President’s Award. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said of Marquinos: “He has never hesitated to raise his voice on the issues that matter: relentlessly vocal about discrimination, racism and mental health, and just as generous with his time, supporting numerous humanitarian causes both during and after his football career.” The competition kicks off on September 8 and this season’s final will be staged at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitana Stadium, the venue where Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in 2019 to win the competition. Contact the writers of this story at [email protected], or [email protected]