Atletico Madrid lodge complaint to UEFA hours before Arsenal showdown in Champions League

Atletico Madrid have complained to UEFA following an incident outside their hotel prior to facing Arsenal.

The Gunners host the Spanish giants at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night in their Champions League semi-final second leg.

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Prior to the clash, the Atletico players and staff stayed at a hotel in east London the night before the match.

However, the club reported concerns to UEFA after fireworks were set off outside the building in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

According to The Athletic, sources have indicated that the players’ sleep was disrupted as a result.

Their unhappiness with the situation has been communicated to European football’s governing body.

It is unlikely that UEFA will intervene, though, as the incident did not take place at the Emirates Stadium so it is outside their jurisdiction.

The two sides meet on Tuesday night, with kick-off in north London at 8pm.

Last week’s first leg in Madrid finished 1-1 after Julian Alvarez equalised from the penalty spot for Atletico.

It followed Viktor Gyokeres’ opener from 12 yards in the first half.

Ahead of the second leg, Diego Simeone rested his entire starting XI from Wednesday’s tie at the weekend.

The Atletico boss rang the changes for their 2-0 away win over Valencia in LaLiga on Saturday.

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The winner will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday, May 30.

PSG lead 5-4 from their first leg ahead of the return fixture in Munich on Wednesday night.

Arsenal are aiming to reach their second-ever Champions League final and their first for 20 years.

The Gunners were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona on their only previous final appearance in the competition back in 2006.

Hostile welcome

As well as the fireworks, Atletico were also treated to a fiery reception from the home fans on Tuesday evening.

Footage from outside the Emirates Stadium showed Arsenal fans gathering as the visitors’ bus drove past before being engulfed in red smoke.

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In unsavoury scenes, though, objects were thrown at the vehicle on its way past the crowd.

However, no lasting damage to the Atletico Madrid bus or its players or staff have been reported.

Arsenal’s complaint

Atletico’s complaint to UEFA comes after the Gunners had raised concerns prior to the first leg.

Arsenal called for the length of the grass at the Metropolitano Stadium to be measured prior to kick-off.

They had claimed the playing surface was too long, with the height requirements between 21 and 30mm in UEFA competitions.

Despite the complaint, Arsenal were told that the grass was 26mm for the match.