Arsenal have issued an apology to Atletico Madrid after a hot water failure at the Emirates Stadium forced the Spanish club to return to their hotel to shower following their pre-match training session.
Under UEFA regulations, visiting teams are entitled to train at the home stadium on the eve of a Champions League fixture. Diego Simeone’s side took to the pitch in north London ahead of Tuesday night’s league-phase encounter between the two clubs.
The issue was first raised at 18:45 BST, when Atletico staff informed Arsenal that there was no hot water in the away dressing room. Upon inspection, Arsenal discovered the same problem affected the home facilities as well.
Atletico were scheduled to complete training by 19:30, but wrapped up their session 15 minutes early, opting to return to their team hotel rather than remain on site. Reports from Spanish outlet Marca suggested that several members of the Atletico squad were frustrated by the situation.
Arsenal subsequently apologised to Atletico Madrid’s staff, acknowledging the inconvenience caused by the technical fault.
On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s team have made a perfect start to their Champions League campaign, winning both of their opening matches without conceding. Atletico, meanwhile, lost 3-2 to Liverpool in their first group game but bounced back impressively with a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
