Champions League organizers have reassured clubs and fans that the new AI-assisted draw for the men’s UEFA competition is secure from manipulation, with enhanced security measures implemented to guard against potential cyber attacks, Sky News reports.
As the competition has evolved from 32 to 36 teams, the traditional manual draw has become insufficient to manage the growing complexity of fixtures, marking the most significant transformation in European men’s football in over 30 years, following the introduction of a group stage that previously allowed entry only for league champions from each country.
Under the revised format, the Champions League will feature a 36-team league phase, replacing the previous group stage in which eight groups of four teams each played home-and-away matches. This year, high-profile clubs such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa will represent the top four teams from the Premier League. In the new format, teams will compete in eight matches against different opponents, necessitating the use of artificial intelligence to assist in determining match pairings, complementing the manual drawing of balls during the ceremony in Monaco on Thursday night.
Throughout its history, UEFA has faced skepticism and conspiracy theories regarding its draw procedures. Concerns about manipulation are likely to resurface with the introduction of new technology, prompting increased scrutiny on social media platforms. In response to these concerns, UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti emphasized the organization’s commitment to transparency.
“People can trust us,” Marchetti stated when asked about the potential for conspiracy theories to arise from this new system. “Many people didn’t trust us in the past — they thought the ball was hot or cold or had untold systems to manipulate the balls.”
