Atletico Madrid have furiously filed a complaint to UEFA about Arsenal just hours before the two sides meet at the Emirates Stadium for a tantalising Champions League encounter. Diego Simeone’s team travelled to London earlier in the week and, as is customary, trained on the pitch where they will play on Tuesday night.
Since losing their opening league match of the season to Espanyol and then falling late on in their Champions League opener against Liverpool, Atletico have been on a superb run of five unbeaten matches - a stretch that includes a 5-2 win over Real Madrid and a 5-1 thumping of Eintracht Frankfurt. While the Gunners have conceded only once from open play all season, they’ll certainly have their work cut out for them under the lights.
To make matters even more tense ahead of kickoff as the north Londoners try to continue their winning start in Europe, Tuesday night’s visitors have reportedly filed a complaint about the facilities provided by Arsenal, with the La Liga giants said to be “confused” by the lack of modernity in certain areas of the Emirates Stadium.
Atletico Madrid File Complaint About Emirates Stadium Facilities
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone reacts vs Liverpool
UEFA Champions League - Liverpool v Atletico Madrid - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - September 17, 2025 Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone reacts Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Following their training session, the Atletico Madrid squad were met with cold water coming from the dressing-room showers. According to Spanish outlet Marca, the players were left “furious,” “surprised,” and “confused” that such a modern stadium could lack such a basic amenity.
Atleti officials alerted Arsenal at 6:45 pm, shortly after training had begun, to report the issue. Although they had planned to finish at 7:30, the La Liga side decided to cut their preparations short, and by the time they returned to the changing rooms, the problem still hadn’t been fixed.
The Sun reported that hot water had been restored by 7:25 pm, but by then, Simeone and his weary players had already decided to head for the team bus and wash at their hotel. Arsenal then swiftly apologised to the Spanish club, stressing that such an issue had never occurred before.
While the incident appears to have been an unfortunate mishap, many familiar with Mikel Arteta’s methods will know the Spaniard leaves no stone unturned when it comes to gaining an edge. From time-wasting tactics to blasting Liverpool’s anthem 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' during training to simulate match conditions, he’s been known to dabble in the dark arts of football in recent seasons.
Annoying Simeone and his side before their clash wouldn’t be the worst strategy either, given the Atletico manager’s fiery temperament. He was sent off and later suspended by UEFA after a war of words with a Liverpool supporter at Anfield. Meanwhile, across their last five games, Atletico have been reduced to 10 men twice - showing how easily they can resemble a bull in a china shop when emotions run high.