Almeida blasts UEFA after Atleti KO: we played UEFA, not Arsenal

Almeida blasts UEFA after Atleti KO: we played UEFA, not Arsenal

Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has strongly criticized UEFA following Atlético de Madrid's elimination in the Champions League semifinals against Arsenal.

According to the mayor, the refereeing in the second leg was decisive in the final outcome, suggesting a "predetermined intent" to harm the red-and-white side.

"When I saw the draw, I thought we had been drawn against Arsenal, and I was wrong — we were drawn against UEFA, and UEFA has made it clear that it did not want Atlético de Madrid to be in the Champions League final," commented the top official of the Spanish capital.

Almeida expressed his outrage over the choice of Daniel Seibert for the match, pointing to a conflict of interest due to the battle between Spain and Germany for the fifth European spot. "It is incomprehensible that they appointed a German referee when Spain and Germany are competing for the fifth Champions League spot," he stressed.

More controversy over refereeing decisions

One of the most controversial points highlighted was the penalty not awarded to Giuliano Simeone. Almeida denounced the lack of clear images during the broadcast regarding the striker's alleged offside.

In his words, "It is incomprehensible that there is not a single replay of Giuliano's offside when it was a crystal-clear penalty. We later saw on social media that it was not offside and that he started from his own half. It was not offside and they did not want to admit it."

The criticism also focused on the amount of stoppage time added. "It is clear proof that the referee wanted that match to end as soon as possible and for Arsenal to go to Budapest rather than Atlético de Madrid," Almeida said.