News Focus
- Atletico Madrid lose to Arsenal in Champions League semi-final second leg
- Spanish club furious after officials reject three penalty appeals
- Madrid Mayor accuses UEFA of using “machinery” to block Atletico’s final place
- Diego Simeone calls Griezmann incident “clear” but refuses to blame defeat on officials
- Appointment of German VAR official Bastian Dankert raises questions
Atletico Madrid’s Champions League campaign ended in frustration on Tuesday night. The Spanish side lost to Arsenal in the semi-final second leg. However, the players and officials are focusing their anger on the match officials rather than the result.
The club believes the referee ignored three clear penalty claims. The first incident involved Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori. Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone claims Calafiori pushed him with both hands inside the penalty area. Simeone later shared a photo of the incident on social media without adding a comment.
Giuliano also complained about another moment. He stated that Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes stopped him from shooting properly during a big chance. “When I tried to shoot, he pushed me and I lost my balance,” Simeone told Movistar+. “The referee did not even check VAR for this or for Antoine’s situation.”
The third appeal involved French star Antoine Griezmann. Atletico wanted a penalty after Calafiori tackled Griezmann. This happened just after the referee gave a foul against Atletico’s Marc Pubill.
Team captain Koke Resurreccion tried to stay calm. He told reporters the referee “did his best” and refused to criticise the decisions. Manager Diego Simeone found it harder to stay quiet. He admitted the Griezmann incident looked like a “clear” penalty. However, he said he did not want to sound like he was making excuses for the defeat.
The anger goes beyond the pitch. Club sources told Diario AS that the dressing room feels furious. They believe the officiating hurt them throughout the match. They also complained about the short amount of added time. The referee announced five minutes but blew the whistle after only five minutes and 33 seconds. This period included several stoppages for yellow cards and balls leaving the pitch.
Atletico also questioned why UEFA chose German VAR official Bastian Dankert. Dankert was the same person who disallowed Julian Alvarez’s penalty against Real Madrid last season.
The strongest words came from Madrid’s Mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida. The Mayor is a well-known Atletico supporter. He claimed UEFA never wanted Atletico in the final. “We did not play against Arsenal. We played against UEFA,” he said at a press conference. “UEFA started their machinery to stop us. You can beat Arsenal over 180 minutes, but you cannot beat UEFA.”
He also criticised the appointment of a German referee. Spain and Germany are currently competing for an extra Champions League place next season. “It makes no sense to use a German official when our leagues are fighting for the fifth spot,” he added.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta changed his opinion about the referees. After the first leg, he attacked the officiating. He called a overturned penalty decision “a turning point”. After winning the second leg, he praised the officials. “I thought the refereeing was very good this time,” he told reporters.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak admitted the team played badly. “We showed Arsenal too much respect. We played with fear,” he said. Simeone added that desire alone was not enough to win.