The following two seasons in the European Cup were a disappointment for Celtic; going out to Dynamo Kyiv in the first round in their defence of the trophy in the autumn of 1967, then reaching the quarter-finals the following season only to lose their home leg against AC Milan, having achieved a credible no-scoring draw in the first game in Italy. Earlier in the season, Celtic set off a controversy in the wake of the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. At chairman Robert Kelly's behest, the club sent UEFA a telegram condemning the military action and expressing concern that any team from Western Europe having to play a tie in an Eastern Bloc country. Celtic's stance received support from several clubs throughout Western Europe, although others such as Leeds United publicly criticised Celtic's intervention. In response, UEFA redid the draw for the first round of the European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup to avoid pairing Eastern European sides with clubs from the West. This elicited a furious response from clubs and football authorities in the East, the majority of whom withdrew in protest.