Arsenal Football Club has apologised to Atletico Madrid after a technical fault at the Emirates Stadium left the Spanish side without hot water during their pre-match preparations.
According to a BBC Sports report on Tuesday, Atletico players were unable to access hot showers following their training session on Monday evening due to a hot water failure in the visiting dressing room.
Under UEFA regulations, visiting teams are entitled to train at the host venue a day before their Champions League fixture. However, Diego Simeone’s squad was forced to cut short their training and return to their hotel early after discovering the problem.
The team was initially scheduled to finish training at 7:30 p.m. but wrapped up 15 minutes earlier due to the inconvenience. Spanish outlet Marca reported that the players were visibly frustrated by the incident.
Arsenal later issued an official apology to Atletico’s staff for the disruption, confirming that the issue was resolved by 7:25 p.m.
Mikel Arteta’s side has enjoyed a strong start to their Champions League campaign, winning both of their opening games without conceding a goal. Atletico, meanwhile, bounced back from a 3–2 loss at Liverpool with an emphatic 5–1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ahead of the group-stage clash, Arteta praised Simeone’s men for their competitiveness and tactical discipline.
“With Simeone’s team, the willingness to win is evident in every duel, every yard of the pitch,” Arteta said. “They are extremely well-organised and disciplined, and over the years they’ve built a team full of players perfectly suited to their style. They’re excellent at exploiting opportunities.”
The hot water issue has since been resolved, and both teams are set for their much-anticipated Champions League encounter at the Emirates.
