Arsenal have issued an apology to Atletico Madrid after the Spanish club encountered substandard facilities ahead of their Champions League showdown at the Emirates Stadium.
Atletico, who face the Gunners on Tuesday night in their third group-stage fixture, had arrived in London hoping to build on their mixed start, one win and one defeat, while Arsenal boast two wins from two.
As is customary, visiting teams are permitted to train on the host’s pitch the night before a European fixture.
However, according to reports from Spanish outlet Cadena SER, Atletico’s preparation was disrupted when they discovered that the visiting dressing room had no hot water.
The situation reportedly left the Spanish side “furious, surprised and confused.” They ended their training session around 15 minutes early and opted to head back to their hotel rather than use the facilities at the stadium.
Arsenal are said to have fixed the issue by 7:25 p.m., about ten minutes after Atletico had finished their training session.
The club later apologised for the inconvenience, explaining that the malfunction was an unintentional technical fault that affected both changing rooms, and that it was resolved as soon as it was discovered.
Despite the incident, mutual respect remains between the two clubs.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, speaking ahead of the clash, praised Atletico’s competitive spirit, “If I have to choose it in words, it is the willingness to win. The way they live. The way they behave, the way they act in everything and the purpose they have to win and they find a way to do that. They change a lot of players and the competition in Spain has increased.
“They have two very big clubs but they have always been there. That is something driven by their mentality and their passion and after that specifically the way he sees the game and he tries to encourage his teams to play. The main thing is that.
“The way they have won major trophies, been in Champions League finals and made all the right steps when they need to do the important step. We need to try and do that and we are on the journey to try and achieve that.”
The upcoming encounter will be only the third time Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have met in the Champions League, with the Spanish side holding the advantage, one win and one draw from their previous meetings.
