Khaberni - The hours before the Atlético Madrid and Arsenal match in the Champions League witnessed a peculiar incident that stirred controversy, after the Spanish club filed an official complaint to UEFA against its English counterpart for administrative shortcomings in preparing the Emirates Stadium facilities.
The British newspaper The Athletic reported that the story started during Atlético's official training session on the field in London, when the team discovered that hot water was not available in the locker rooms after the practice session, forcing the players to return to the hotel without showering despite the cold and rainy conditions before the anticipated Champions League encounter.
It clarified, "Despite Atlético representatives alerting Arsenal officials early about the problem, it was not resolved until the delegation left, which caused widespread anger within the Spanish team."
It pointed out that the tank responsible for the hot water was either empty or temporarily out of order, where Arsenal apologized for the malfunction, considering it an unintended technical glitch in a facility that is among the latest in Europe.
It continued, "The London club confirmed that it has initiated an internal investigation to determine the cause of the sudden malfunction, while Atlético Madrid insisted on officially raising its complaint to UEFA to document the incident."
It added, "The incident raised surprise among observers given the modernity of the Emirates Stadium and its state-of-the-art facilities, as no similar incidents have previously been recorded in European tournaments at this level."
It emphasized that the Atlético technical team found the situation annoying and impacting the team's preparations, but at the same time, it stressed the need to focus on the match and not allow the incident to distract from the sporting objective."
In contrast, UEFA has not issued an official statement regarding the complaint, but it is likely to settle with a clarification or warning to the host if organizational shortcomings are confirmed, especially since it involves a simple logistical aspect in a championship expected to be the highest organized on the continent.
