Arsenal Apologise to Atletico Madrid Over Hot Water Glitch at Emirates Stadium
Arsenal have apologised to Atletico Madrid after a hot water failure at the Emirates Stadium disrupted the Spanish club’s pre-match preparations ahead of their Champions League clash.
According to BBC Sport, the issue occurred on Monday evening, leaving Atletico players unable to take hot showers after their training session.
Under UEFA regulations, visiting teams are allowed to train at the host stadium the day before a Champions League fixture. However, Diego Simeone’s men were forced to end their session about 15 minutes early and return to their hotel after discovering that the dressing room had no hot water.
Spanish outlet Marca reported that the Atletico squad were “angry” about the situation, which Arsenal later described as an unexpected technical fault. The issue was fixed by 7:25 p.m., and the club issued an apology to the Atletico staff for the inconvenience.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s side go into the tie in strong form, having won their first two Champions League matches without conceding a goal. Atletico, on the other hand, lost 3–2 to Liverpool but bounced back with a 5–1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Speaking ahead of the match, Arteta praised Simeone’s team for their competitiveness and tactical discipline.
“With Simeone’s team, the first thing you notice is their willingness to win,” Arteta said.
“You can sense it in every ball and every yard they cover. Their organisation and discipline are top-level, and they’ve built a squad full of players who perfectly fit their style of play.”
