‘Outrage’ in the Atletico Madrid camp is said to have seen the Liga giants lodge a formal complaint to UEFA about Emirates Stadium. The Spanish outfit are in north London for a Champions League clash with Arsenal. They trained at the Gunners’ famous home on Monday, but were left without hot water on site – leading to contact being made with European football’s governing body.
Why shower issue at Emirates Stadium did not breach UEFA rules
UEFA lists showers with hot water as something that every dressing room in continental competition must be equipped with – with rules clearly being laid out in infrastructure regulations. Those rules do, however, apply to the hosting of matches, not informal training sessions.
Atletico were of the opinion, though, that facilities at such an impressive venue should have been in full working order for their visit. They are said to have suffered a hot water shortage in the away changing room that they occupied.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALAnger in Atletico Madrid camp after rain-soaked session
Diego Simeone put his side through their paces at the Emirates, but they were unable to freshen up afterwards – despite taking in a rain-soaked session on English soil. Sources have told that the plumbing problem “went unfixed for over an hour”.
It is claimed that the Rojiblancos were left “surprised” and “angered” by the lack of hot running water, leading to them flagging the “anomalous situation” to UEFA. Spanish media outlet says “outrage erupted” in the Atleti camp.
The Madrid-based heavyweights are said to have reported the issue to Arsenal officials prior to their training session getting underway. They were already “baffled” at that point as to “why the Emirates Stadium, one of the best grounds in England, would be lacking hot water”.
Plumbing issue fixed after Atletico returned to their hotel
Both dressing rooms were impacted by the issue, with reporting on how it was resolved “within 40 minutes of Arsenal being alerted to it”. A fix is said to have been found before Atletico were due to finish training, but their session was cut short. That led to the Liga side heading back to their hotel in order to shower and unwind.
Staff at the Emirates “acknowledged the error” and restored the hot water supply “shortly after the Atletico squad had left”. The Premier League outfit are said to have “apologised to their Liga counterparts for the inconvenience”.
Atletico have still taken the matter further, with it now being left in the hands of UEFA. Attention is about to turn to the pursuit of precious points in Champions League action – with the Rojiblancos taking in their second game of the season in England, having previously suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Liverpool.
Atleti sit 10th in the Champions League table at present, having responded to their loss at Anfield with a win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Arsenal, meanwhile, are fifth after winning both of their games against Olympiacos and Athletic Club.
GettySimeone impressed by Premier League leaders Arsenal
Simeone has said of facing a Gunners team that continues to improve under the guidance of their Spanish coach: “They've been with [Mikel] Arteta for five or six years, with a clear identity that they won't compromise on. On the contrary, they're improving it, bringing in great players for the positions where they believe they can continue to grow with that same idea. They compete in every Premier League until the end, with merits that weren't always theirs, but they clearly reflect their identity. We'll have to take the game to where we believe we can do damage. It's a wonderful stadium, with a driving crowd and a surely high pace.”
Simeone added on the threat that Arsenal pose from set-pieces, with Atleti having prided themselves on similar qualities down the years: “I see great ball strikers, tall players, and very good headers. The number of goals they score like this is unusual; they work very carefully. It's a huge strength. We won many games that way in 2014, and it's an option they have too.”
Arsenal head into the game perched top of the Premier League table, with a three-point lead being opened up at the summit of that division. Atletico are fourth in La Liga, eight points adrift of city neighbours Real Madrid in the battle for domestic supremacy in Spain.
