"I need to tell you about the grass war that took place, just about an hour ago," Balague revealed during his pre-match coverage onCBS Sports. "Arsenal, the groundstaff, came in thinking, 'The grass, it's too high. We're not happy with it'. They asked UEFA to actually measure it. They weren't happy. They thought that it was Simeone creating some dark arts."
The suspicions were not entirely unfounded, as Atletico have a history of facing such accusations in the Champions League. Balague further clarified the outcome of the drama, stating: "After a while, UEFA said, no, it's actually 26 millimetres. The limit is 30, because between 21 and 30 is 26. It was the same as when they played Barcelona here."