Champions League draw organizers stress they are fully prepared to deal with the threat of a cyber attack from Russia

The English company responsible for the new Champions League draw says it is fully prepared for a cyber attack from Russia.

Hemel Hempstead-based AE Live is providing the software for a largely computer-generated system that will take place in Monaco on Thursday when the competition switches to a 36-team league format.

They are confident that they are well equipped to deal with the threat of hostile hackers and that they have prepared for it.

“We take cybersecurity incredibly seriously,” said CEO David Gill. “Clearly this is a sensitive issue. I don’t want to go into detail about what we’re doing, but I can assure you that we’ve taken every possible step to make sure this is as safe and secure as possible.”

Gill revealed that his company faced attacks while working for FIFA in the run-up to the World Cup, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The draw for this season’s Champions League competition phase will take place on Thursday

“We have been through this. We have done risk assessments and taken precautions,” he added.

The new competition format ensures that teams are guaranteed to play eight matches, two more than in the previous format. Each team is drawn manually, with the eight opponents determined by the computer.

Meanwhile, UEFA deputy secretary general Giorgio Marchetti denied that the new format was a not-so-subtle attempt to fend off attempts to create a separate European Super League, despite the increased revenue for clubs.

“No,” said the straightforward Italian. “We started reforming our competitions in 2018. We’ve been working on this for a long time. You can’t work out a format like this in a weekend.

‘In 2018 we agreed with clubs that it was time for a thorough reform of our competition. We looked at many formats. This one met many requirements.’

Last season there were 32 teams in eight groups, but now there is one big competition with 36 teams

Since February 2022, Russian teams have been banned from UEFA-organized competitions

He also played down concerns that the move would overburden players, who had already complained about a busy schedule.

“There have been many discussions with stakeholders,” he said. “We have listened to parties and stakeholders and this was acceptable. What has been done has been done hand in hand with clubs. This is not something that UEFA is imposing. It is the result of long discussions.”