Piero Hincapie’s unique Champions League situation

Piero Hincapie will be in a unique situation Wednesday night. He is still officially a Bayer Leverkusen player, yet will be spending the next week trying to knock his employers out of Europe.

Reports have varied on whether Arsenal had an option or obligation to make the defender stay in London permanently next summer, yet it was always believed both clubs originally called the deal a loan to help the Gunners balance their books.

As the season reaches the home straight, the more vital the 24-year-old proves to be to our campaign. He started off the campaign as cover in the left-back or centre-back positions, the kind of player Arteta loves because of their versatility. He has become one of our most reliable performers. While the paperwork is ready for the summer, as things stand, he is officially on loan at the Emirates. If this were a Premiership fixture, the Ecuadorian simply would not be allowed to play in this match. Yet the rules are different in the Champions League.

UEFA’s stance

UEFA has long been strict on clubs having any influence on team selection unless it is their own, and that is how they interpret any loans between two parties that dictate team selection.

The German club are the ones who brought the left-back to Europe, with the player lifting the Bundesliga in 2024, so he should get a decent reaction on Wednesday night at the BayArena.

There is precedent for Hincapié’s situation, with very few players on loan feeling conflicted about hurting their parent club; in fact, the opposite.

Loan players against parent club

Coutinho scored against Barcelona, who had sent him to Bayern Munich for a season, but the Brazilian did not celebrate, while Kingsley Coman and Morientes did against Juventus and Real Madrid, respectively. Chelsea sent Thibaut Courtois to Atletico Madrid for three years, during which time he won at Stamford Bridge in the semi-final stage. Chelsea had tried to force the Spaniards to pay extra for the keeper to play against them until UEFA stepped in and said that was not the case.

Sixth in the table and with their manager under pressure, the last thing Bayer Leverkusen need is one of their own players rubbing their noses in the mud.

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