The 2001–02 UEFA Cup first round was played from 11 to 27 September 2001. The round consisted of 48 ties, with the winners advancing to the second round of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup.[1]
The draw was held on 24 August 2001, 12:30 CEST, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[2] Teams were divided into geographical groups, each with seeded and unseeded pots.
In the draw, UEFA mistakenly omitted Croatian side Varteks as a seeded team. UEFA later apologized, but clarified that the draw result was final.[3]
Summary
The first round featured the 41 winners of the qualifying round, joined by 36 directly qualified teams, the 16 losers of the Champions League third qualifying round and the 3 winners for the Intertoto Cup. The first legs were played on 11, 18, 19 and 20 September, and the second legs were played on 25 and 27 September 2001.
The matches scheduled for 12 September were postponed due to the September 11 attacks.[4][5][6] Most of the postponed fixtures were rescheduled for 20 September,[7] with all matches observing a moment of silence.[8]
^Paris Saint-Germain were winning 1–0 in extra time of the second leg before Rapid București walked out. Paris Saint-Germain were later awarded a 3–0 victory for the match.
^ abThe Anzhi Makhachkala v Rangers tie originally had its first leg scheduled on 13 September at Dynamo Stadium, Makhachkala, and second leg on 27 September 2001 at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow. However, the first leg was later rescheduled to 20 September after UEFA postponed matches due to the September 11 attacks. Rangers refused to travel to Dagestan, citing security concerns due to the region's proximity to the ongoing Second Chechen War and Foreign Office advice against travel to the region.[10] UEFA insisted the match must proceed as scheduled,[11] and Rangers' subsequent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport failed.[10] However, UEFA ultimately reversed its decision following the deterioration of the security situation and the withdrawal of Rangers' insurance coverage.[12][13] The tie was subsequently reorganized as a single match at a neutral venue, played at Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland, on 27 September.[14]
^"UEFA postpones fixtures". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 12 September 2001. Archived from the original on 7 November 2001. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
Note: Between the 1999–2000 and 2008–09 seasons, the competition was still known as the UEFA Cup. All seasons are included following the competition's absorption of the Cup Winners' Cup.