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Atletico Madrid fans burst into tears after their team lost to Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. |
Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida attracted attention when he publicly spoke out about Atletico Madrid's 0-1 defeat to Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. As a long-time Atletico fan, he could not hide his frustration with the referee's decisions at the Emirates Stadium on the morning of May 6th.
Speaking to the media, Almeida stated that Atletico's match against Arsenal wasn't simply a confrontation. "I think we're facing Arsenal, but the reality is UEFA. They've made it clear they don't want Atletico in the final," he said.
The Mayor of Madrid was particularly critical of the refereeing assignments. He argued that the use of a German referee, given the Spanish and German teams were competing for the fifth Champions League spot, was incomprehensible. Almeida believed the decisions on the field were not simply professional errors, but deliberate and unfavorable.
One of the points that provoked a strong reaction from Almeida was the incident involving Giuliano Simeone. The Atletico player claimed he was fouled in the penalty area, but the situation was ruled offside beforehand.
Almeida questioned the handling of the television footage: “It’s incomprehensible why there wasn’t a clear camera angle showing the offside situation. Then, images appeared on social media showing that he wasn’t offside. With so many cameras at the time, not showing a replay is unacceptable.”
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Atletico lost narrowly to Arsenal. |
Furthermore, he also mentioned the incident involving Antoine Griezmann. According to Almeida, the referee blew the whistle too quickly when the French striker fell, while he believed there was no foul from the opposing defender. He also suspected that the added time was adjusted to favor Arsenal.
Despite his disappointment with the result, Almeida expressed his support for Diego Simeone's team. He believes Atletico played hard, but were unable to overcome factors beyond their own capabilities.
"You can beat Arsenal in 180 minutes, but you can't beat UEFA," Almeida emphasized. He went on to assert that, in his personal opinion, Atletico suffered a systemic disadvantage in this match.
The Madrid mayor's statements quickly sparked controversy. While some Atletico fans agreed with him, many others argued that it was merely an emotional reaction after the defeat.
Nevertheless, controversies surrounding refereeing and VAR have once again become a hot topic in the Champions League, especially in crucial matches like the semi-finals.
Source: https://znews.vn/thi-truong-madrid-to-uefa-chong-atletico-post1648989.html
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