Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final opponents Atletico Madrid have issued a complaint to UEFA after their overnight stay in London was heavily disrupted
10:35, 05 May 2026Updated 11:03, 05 May 2026
Diego Simeone and the Atletico Madrid players saw their Monday evening sleep disrupted by fireworks being set off(Image: (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images))
Atletico Madrid have reportedly complained to UEFA after fireworks were set off outside their London hotel in the early hours of Tuesday morning
The disruption came ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal, off the back of last week’s 1-1 draw in Spain.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, Atletico swiftly reported their displeasure at the situation to UEFA. It is claimed that, despite the convenience of the hotel’s location which is in Shoreditch, there is concern that the individuals who threw projectiles did not have any form of deterrent to approaching where the team were sleeping.
The report from Marca also provided more details on exactly what happened with it stated the first set of fireworks were set off at 1:30am. 20 minutes later, further loud noises arrived outside the team’s accommodation with at least one member of the squad disrupted
Despite the inconvenience that faced his players, Simeone will be delighted to have a number of them in London.
Injury fears over Julian Alvarez, Giuliano Simeone, Marcos Llorente and David Hancko were sparked over the last week, but all four have been named in the travelling squad.
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Pablo Barrios and Nico Gonzalez are the only key Atletico stars that have missed out, though Alexander Sorloth has been included despite the fact he has not played in the last two games.
Mikel Arteta also delivered some positive injury news with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard set to be back in the squad.
On Monday, he said: “Great [to have them back], because we need options, we need the capacity to play different games tomorrow, whether it’s from the start or after. So it’s really, really good news for us to have them both back.”
While Arsenal’s immediate focus is on the Champions League, Everton, and particularly Thierno Barry, handed them a major boost in the Premier League title race against Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have handed Arsenal a big Premier League title race boost(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola’s side had the chance to respond to the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Fulham but failed to do so as they drew 3-3 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Had it not been for a last-gasp Jeremy Doku equaliser, City would be six points behind Arsenal and even with the late goal, the title race is now in the hands of Arteta and his players.
In addition to the three remaining league games, Arsenal will be hoping to contest a European final at the end of May, with one of Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain as their opponents. The two giants go head-to-head in their own semi-final second leg on Wednesday in Germany, following last week’s thrilling 5-4 win for PSG.
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Arsenal have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals where they host Atlético Madrid in the second leg on May 5. Fans can watch the game for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or 30-day trial.