Arsenal in bizarre row with Atletico Madrid ahead of Champions League clash

Tom Weber

Updated: 21 Oct 2025 15:26 BST
4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Atletico Madrid have filed an official UEFA complaint against Arsenal after being left without hot water at the Emirates on Monday.

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The Spanish giants travelled to North London for Tuesday's Champions League clash and, as is customary, held a training session at the Emirates the day before the game.

To their dismay, Atleti's players soon realised that the hot water was not working at the ground, leaving the players and Diego Simeone disgruntled. Arsenal were informed of the problem and attempted to fix the issue.

Staff realised that the home dressing room also had no hot water, but of course, it didn't affect Arsenal as they were not training at the stadium. By the time the problem was resolved, Simeone had already called off the session early so that the players could head back to their hotel to shower.

The LaLiga side lodged an official complaint with UEFA, but it is unlikely that the Gunners will face any punishment. As the Daily Mail points out, UEFA regulations oblige teams to provide hot showers to their visitors, but this rule does not extend beyond the day of the match.

Arsenal apologise over lack of hot water

Arsenal issued an apology to their guests after the incident, and it seems the matter has been put to bed. However, that did not stop Atleti president Enrique Cerezo from issuing a cheeky dig at the Gunners on Tuesday morning.

"I shower with cold water and nothing happens," he told reporters in London. "These things happen. Sometimes planes also break down and don't leave. Mine was delayed this morning, so don't give it any importance."

© IMAGO - Atleti boss Diego Simeone was left annoyed by the lack of hot water at the Emirates

Before moving on to the next topic, the president couldn't help himself and assured the assembled journalists that such an issue would never occur at Atleti's Metropolitano. "It's the best stadium in Europe for a reason," he joked.

Atleti will face a tough test at the Emirates on Tuesday. Arsenal are in red-hot form, while Simeone's men have endured a mixed bag of a season so far, only sitting fourth in LaLiga.

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