Manchester City have again been handed a plum draw in this season’s UEFA Champions League round of 16, with last season’s treble winners set to face off against Real Betis Féminas’ under-16 side.

The young women from Betis will step in for Danish Champions FC Copenhagen, who, despite being deemed the weakest team left in the competition, were not seen as an easy enough opponent for City – even with the bookmakers rating the Manchester club as overwhelming favourites in the tie.

Explaining the decision, one UEFA insider told The Times: ‘Look, at the end of the day, the Sheikh is paying for my daughter’s Christmas presents, he paid for my boss’ new Porsche, and he’s the reason my intern is spending December in Dubai, so I don’t think he’s getting value for his money if the best, or worst in this case, we can do is give him is the Danish Champions. Lest we forget, they’ve already embarrassed one team from Manchester this season.’

Asked whether the move undermines the integrity of the competition, the insider remained adamant that it was the right thing to do, adding, ‘We all know this competition is about money, and if a team of Lego men were to progress at the expense of the current Champions, we would lose viewership and in turn, ad revenue. By giving these young women a chance, everyone wins, UEFA gets to appear more inclusive, the Sheikh stays happy, and our bosses get the chance to perv over some young girls in shorts.’

The FC Copenhagen board has stated that they will appeal their shock removal from the competition. However, City owner Sheikh Mansour has threatened to block any oil sales to Denmark from the UAE in the event of an official complaint, telling Al Jazeera, ‘We will turn the floodlights off at the Parken Stadium.’