Arsenal has reached the Champions League final after a 20-year hiatus. However, the victory over Atlético Madrid has caused a major stir in the Spanish capital. Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida claimed that this clash was predetermined and that UEFA prevented Atlético Madrid from reaching the final. This is reported by Goal.com .
Arsenal advanced from the semi-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win thanks to a decisive goal by Bukayo Saka. However, Martínez-Almeida insisted that the match result was determined not by the battle on the pitch, but by the organization's political decisions. According to him, Atlético Madrid had to play not only against Mikel Arteta's side but also against UEFA's institutional pressure.
The Madrid Mayor is particularly unhappy with the appointment of German referees for the match. In his view, such an appointment is suspicious given the coefficient battle between Spanish and German clubs. Martínez-Almeida believes the selection of German officials for the head referee and VAR roles was a deliberate move to harm Atlético Madrid.
At the center of the controversy are episodes involving defender Riccardo Calafiori. Specifically, in a situation where Giuliano Simeone fell inside the penalty area, the referee signaled offside. The Mayor criticized the fact that replays of this incident were not shown on television, calling it an attempt to deliberately alter the result.
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