Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida openly criticized UEFA and the refereeing team following Atletico Madrid's 0-1 defeat to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on 5/5 in the Champions League semifinals. Speaking to the media at an event in the Vicalvaro district on 6/5, Almeida, a known Atletico supporter, expressed his belief that the club faced an unfair challenge. "When I saw the draw results, I thought Atletico would face Arsenal. But I was mistaken," he stated. "We had to contend with UEFA."

Almeida asserted that Atletico's elimination stemmed from a series of unfavorable decisions by the referee and VAR. He suggested that UEFA had a vested interest in keeping Atletico out of the final. "UEFA has shown they don't want Atletico to be in the Champions League final," he added, eliciting chuckles from surrounding reporters.

Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida speaks to Spanish media on the morning of 6/5. Photo: Marca.

A central point of Almeida's criticism was UEFA's decision to assign a German refereeing team, led by Daniel Siebert, to the match. He found this choice perplexing given the ongoing competition between Spain and Germany for UEFA coefficient ranking points, which determine additional Champions League spots for next season. "It's unfathomable why they appointed a German referee, and the VAR official was also German," Almeida remarked. He argued that some situations were not merely incorrect calls but "predetermined decisions designed to disadvantage Atletico."

Almeida highlighted two specific incidents that drew strong reactions from Atletico. The first involved midfielder Giuliano Simeone's one-on-one opportunity in the 51st minute. Atletico argued that coach Diego Simeone's son was not offside before being fouled inside the penalty area. Almeida noted the lack of clear television replays for this crucial moment. "It's unbelievable that there wasn't a single replay of Giuliano's offside situation, especially when it clearly led to a penalty," he said. "Later, we saw on social media that he wasn't offside at all. In a match with many cameras, why were there no replays to clarify the situation? Because it wasn't offside, and they didn't want to admit it."

Forward Giuliano Simeone missed a one-on-one chance in the 51st minute during Atletico's 0-1 loss to Arsenal in the Champions League semifinal second leg at Emirates Stadium, London, England on 5/5. Photo: AP.

The second incident Almeida referenced was Antoine Griezmann's fall inside the Arsenal penalty area in the 56th minute. "The referee blew the whistle as soon as Griezmann fell," Almeida stated. "They claimed Pubill fouled Gabriel Magalhaes beforehand, but there was no foul in that situation."

The Madrid Mayor also expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of added time at the end of the match. He suggested the referee aimed to conclude the game quickly to ensure Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League final in Hungary. "The added time is clear evidence that the referee wanted the match to end quickly and Arsenal to go to Budapest instead of Atletico," Almeida concluded.

Despite his criticisms of UEFA and the officials, Almeida praised Diego Simeone's squad for their resilience. He maintained that Atletico fought to the end despite the adverse circumstances, and their fans should be proud. "That's why Atletico fans are proud of their team," Almeida commented. "You can defeat Arsenal over two legs, but you cannot defeat UEFA."

Hoang An (according to Marca)