Hours before Champions League clash, furious Atletico Madrid file complaint against Arsenal for not providing basic requirement after training session

Atletico Madrid have filed a complaint to UEFA against Arsenal ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash at the Emirates Stadium. The Spanish giants trained at Arsenal’s home ground on Monday but were unable to have a hot shower on the premises, leading to them reaching out to the continent’s football governing body.

According to a report from Marca, Atletico had a rain-soaked training session at the north London club but were unable to shower because there was not hot water at Arsenal’s stadium.

The LaLiga giants had reported the issue to the staff at the Emirates upon their arrival at 5:30 pm, and they alleged that the problem went unfixed for over an hour. Los Rojiblancos were shocked that a modern stadium like the Emirates doesn’t have something so basic, especially during a major UEFA competition.

The Athletic reported that both dressing rooms were impacted by the issue, and the problem was resolved within 40 minutes of Arsenal being alerted to it, but Diego Simeone’s side were said to finish their session early.

While Article 11 of UEFA’s regulations on infrastructure states that ‘stadiums must be equipped with showers and hot water’ in order to host Champions League matches, it doesn’t mention whether these rules are also applicable to training sessions on the eve of the game. Meanwhile, Arsenal have since apologized to Atletico Madrid for the inconvenience.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta heaps praise on Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone ahead of Champions League clash

The Gunners will look to maintain their unbeaten start in the ongoing Champions League campaign when they play Atletico tonight. The Gunners are in 5th position with points in the league phase of the competition, while Atletico are in 10th with three points.

Speaking in a press conference, Arteta had the highest of praise for Simeone, describing his work at Atletico as ‘outstanding.’ He told reporters:

“At the highest level, I think what he's done since he got to Atletico has been outstanding, not only what he has achieved but the way he's done it. I think the identity that he has created for the club, for the team, the spirit, I think they are very simple and clear to identify, and that's because the manager is very much them. That's extremely difficult to achieve for a short period of time and to do it for 14 years, I think he's been there now, he's done something incredible so it'll be a pleasure to meet him.”

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide