{"id":736691,"date":"2026-04-18T12:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/736691\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T12:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:38:16","slug":"arsenal-given-uefa-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/736691\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal given UEFA warning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arsenal have been warned by UEFA over a delayed kick-off in their Champions League tie with Sporting CP, but they have avoided a fine, unlike Real Madrid.\"LONDON,Photo by Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Arsenal<\/strong> and Mikel Arteta<\/strong> have been given a formal written warning after UEFA\u2019s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body<\/strong> recorded a late kick-off offence in the quarter-final. <\/p>\n

UEFA\u2019s view is that Arsenal were not ready to start on the referee\u2019s whistle and so breached the competition\u2019s timing rules.<\/p>\n

There is no financial penalty attached on this occasion, which matters, but only up to a point. The warning still places Arsenal on notice and makes clear that UEFA expect the club\u2019s pre-match routine to be tightened, from dressing-room timings to tunnel procedures.<\/p>\n

This is part of a wider effort to clamp down on late starts, particularly in major televised knockout ties, where any delay disrupts tightly controlled broadcast schedules and commercial windows. <\/p>\n

\"LONDON,Photo by Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Real Madrid<\/strong>, however, have been fined for similar breaches. <\/p>\n

Madrid were hit with a \u20ac20,000 penalty for a delayed kick-off in their quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich<\/strong>, and had previously been fined \u20ac40,000, alongside Benfica<\/strong>, for the same type of offence in a group-stage game at Est\u00e1dio da Luz<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

In both instances, UEFA also issued formal warnings to the head coach, underlining that repeat offences can lead to tougher personal sanctions as well as financial ones.<\/p>\n

The difference, according to the source material, is that Madrid are being treated as repeat offenders, whereas Arsenal are being handled as a first or lower-level case in this instance, at least. <\/p>\n